on August 6, 2008M at 10:31 am
If this country wasn’t facing an energy crisis, Congress should be talking about health care, another critical area, U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn says.Coburn, R-Muskogee, says Congress should be in session to develop an energy policy and look at ways to get the
United States to reduce its dependence on foreign oil instead of being on its traditional five-week summer break. It’s estimated the
U.S. imports about 70 percent of its oil.
President Bush should order Congress back into session, but Coburn says he understands the Republican president’s logic.“He wants us out here hearing the wrath of everybody that’s mad about energy and he’s hoping that that’ll change the other side’s mind,” said Coburn, after talking Tuesday to the Rotary Club of Oklahoma City.On energy: Coburn says he doesn’t think either presidential candidate will endorse
Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens’ energy plan before the Nov. 4 election. Coburn said he supports Pickens’ plan, which calls for increased use of natural gas and wind to reduce
America’s dependence on foreign oil. Coburn said he also supports electric vehicles and developing nuclear power while expanding domestic oil production. “We need to do it all,” he said.On health care: “If you really like the way we did (Hurricane) Katrina, and you think the post office is efficient and you think there’s compassion at the IRS, you’re going to love the (government) program you’re going to get on health care,” Coburn said. “We have bureaucracies in health care that are unbelievable because we’ve mandated them through the rules and regulations of Medicare and Medicaid. .. The government is not the answer to fixing health care. The markets are the answer to fixing health care.”On McCain’s No. 2 pick: Asked his chances of being the running mate for U.S. Sen. John McCain, the GOP’s presumptive presidential nominee, Coburn said, “I have way too much baggage for John McCain to ever want somebody to go along with him in that regard.” Coburn said South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford and Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin would be “fantastic” picks to be McCain’s vice president. “We have lots of great people who can fill that job who have executive experience that could complement Sen. McCain.”On McCain’s chances: Coburn, Oklahoma co-chairman for McCain, says the Arizona senator will easily win
Oklahoma and will win the Nov. 4 election. “People recognize his foreign policy experience,” Coburn said. “He’s not quite 100 percent right on energy, but compared to Barack Obama he’s 100 percent. … In terms of trimming the size of the federal government, he says he’s going to trim it and when John McCain says something, he does it.”
Michael McNutt, Capitol Bureau
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Well I guess not in Oklahoma. We have to worry about the “lesser prairie chicken” here. Chickens above humans, oh yeah.