Obama Preaches Fuel Efficiency From the Back Seat of an SUV

At his Town Hall meetings yesterday, Sen. Barack (the-sky-is-falling) Obama lectured everyone at the Metropolis Community Center about gas guzzling.

Ignoring the fact that it's August, and generally warm in Illinois, BO (Barack Obama) claimed that "the blame for the world's higher temperature rests on gas guzzling vehicles". His solution: switch to "higher mileage hybrids". Problem is, following his lecture, BO left in his GMC Envoy after "admitting to favoring SUV's".

BO's press secretary Tommy Vietor tried to cover up the junior senator's hypocrisy by explaining that what BO "has long advocated is the use of vehicles that are more fuel efficient, including, but not exclusively hybrids." According to Vietor, "the vehicle BO travels in while in Illinois is a Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV), which can (but I guess doesn't) run on e85, a blended fuel made of 85 percent ethanol."

However, according to the National Ethanol Vehicle Coalition (see here), the GMC's Envoy is not e85 ready.

Story from Drudge and local News Channel 6 WPSD-TV can be found here.

Comments

[Christine Guthrie]

Obama is a typical liberal on this. They want everyone ELSE to drive small fuel-efficient cars, or better yet walk or take a bus, while they cruise the country in SUV's or private jets. They seem to really believe that they are special and should have some sort of exemption from their own rules. I will listen to such people when they show up in my town on a Greyhound, or at least take the train.

[Señor Limpio]

You mean the Greater Good doesn't justify everything done in its name? What ever happened to "You have to break a few eggs to make an omelette?"

Those were the days, when Revolution took more than a Che t-shirt, free range chickens and fair trade coffee.

[tfb]

Obama, the affirmative action Senator proves yet again his complete lack of intellectual honesty and lack of personal integrity.

[G. Gordon]

Speaker Hastert pulled this same stunt...see Illinoize.

So, I guess that justifies Obama's hypocrisy. How puerile.

[G Gordon]

Just saying, why is it an issue now? It's not, you're just hypocrits.

Well, there's a cogent argument for you. Sounds like some made by a 6 year old I know.

The liberal equivalent of "na na boo boo".

[Bill Clinton]

Face it fellow libs. My boy Obama screwed up on this one. Just take your licks and move on.

[G. Gordon]

You're all missing the point, as usual. No one is saying what he did was okay, I'm pointing out that the Speaker of the House pulled the same stunt...shame on both...and shame on this site only making a big deal of it when Obama was caught.

Boy, didn't think i'd have to spell it out for you, I'll remember that in the future.

[G. Gordon]

You're all missing the point, as usual. No one is saying what he did was okay, I'm pointing out that the Speaker of the House pulled the same stunt...shame on both...and shame on this site only making a big deal of it when Obama was caught.

Boy, didn't think i'd have to spell it out for you, I'll remember that in the future.

[G. Gordon]

You're all missing the point, as usual. No one is saying what he did was okay, I'm pointing out that the Speaker of the House pulled the same stunt...shame on both...and shame on this site only making a big deal of it when Obama was caught.

Boy, didn't think i'd have to spell it out for you, I'll remember that in the future.

[NW burbs]

G. Gordon,

It's ok to be hypocritical if you're a conservative (like Hastert's hypocrisy on this issue). Don't you know that???

Far be it from the "conservative crossroads" to take off it's partisan cloak to actually point out a conservative's hypocrisy. This site can be little better than party flaks at times; all talking points and hot air.

That said, Obama is hypocritical on this and rightly ought to be called on it; Hastert too. (For the record, we sold our gas guzzling SUV -- though I had used it to haul gardening supplies like hay bales, manure, etc. which helped me in my own li'l way to grow some healthy plants and add some fresh air to the environment. And I do now in fact walk to work and take public transportation when needed. Oh, and we have more than twice the MPG with our current Honda.)

[NW Burbs Hippie Brother]

NW Burbs: Peace man! Sorry to hear you had to sell the SUV with the groovy flowers painted on it. Love the organic garden. Way to embrace our mother earth.

For the record my fellow commune members, Illinois Review is and was an equal opportunity hypocrit basher. Check out the story they did on Hastert doing the same thing as Obama. http://illinoisreview.typepad.com/illinoisreview/2006/05/will_the_real_h.html

Get your facts straight before you start mouthing off. You're not the New York Times, so you can just make up stories.

[Scott W.]

Too bad people accept the theory of 'global warming', its truly sad that anyone at all believes in it.
It's now turned our 'super-man dreamin' senator into a hypocrit.
You know, if there were actual Republican 'talking points' being faxed to all the news outlets for them to read from in their nightly news, er opinion hit pieces, we'd be prevy to a repeated mantra of 'Obama may appear to some critics as being hypocrtical'(in their all too condescending tone of voice with a look of sincerity plastered on their false mugs).

If Republicans had their way with the media, we also wouldn't see enough of this stupid photo of him in front of someone greater than he is (who doesn't even actually exist and yet is twice as American - in terms of the values he portrays - as Obama)
Love Always,
Scott :-)

[True Blue American]

Scott w. :-) ----- why do you think global warming isn't happening?

What evidence do you have that the globe's oceans are not increasing in temperature ---- that glaciers and ice caps aren't really melting ----- or that entire species of animals and plants are not shifting territories in order to keep up with climatic changes in their (formerly) native zones?

You can ignore all the facts you want but it just makes ya look kinda silly when reality is actually the exact opposite of your little head-in-the-sand yoohooland concoction.

[Scott W.]

These are not actual facts, what you posted are 'speculations' and are completely agenda driven.

We don't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the glaciers are or are not, have or have not been growing or melting over the thousands of years we have been here.

We don't know beyond a shadow of a doubt that species have been moving conclusively, they move all over the place. This is NOT evidence of global warming.

Besides, President Clinton didn't even sign the Kyoto Protocal, which is just a scheme to shift money from rich nations to poor nations.

The Kyoto Protocal was only supposed to be for 10 years, and decrease temperatures 'hopefully' by .02 degrees celcius - a total and complete JOKE!!! While millions of people would be homeless and starving because they have NO JOBS. WHY?

This stupid Kyoto Protocol that NO ONE supports is detrimental to our freedoms, it would KILL more people than it saves.

Besides, democrats are more concerned about saving the planet than saving lives. That rather see people starve to death, than let them manufacture anything.

What happened to all those fires Sadam Husein set in the first Gulf War? That was billions and billions parts of 'green house' gases - THAT event RIGHT THERE should have given us INSTANT global warming. If nothing else at least a 'BLIP' of global warming.

But NO, we had spring, and then summer, and then fall, and then snow in winter. Im still breathing, you're still breathing - need I really go on?

Trees actually cause the 'green houses' gases you so fear, and yet, we are supposed to plant trees all over the place, and in affect we cause - more of this so called global warming.

Do you have any idea how incredibly big the sun is in comparison to earth? Have you actually looked at that? Do you even understand that cow farts (sorry folks) and SUV exhaust could not POSSIBLY even effect our evironment by one micro-spect?

Global warming is the epidemy of human arrogance, to even think that our actions could even SLIGHTLY cause a change in our atmosphere my even the very smallest part.

Do you have any idea of the size of hurricanes? Your mind litterally could not wrap themselves around the enormity of those things. Not that comprehending or even not comprehending them is going to bolster my arguement, however, to think that my gas guzzling 16 cylinder SUV (which I run at full speed in my drive way even when I am not in it just to tick off environmentalists) could in any way cause or effect those is just so conceited and arrogant.

No, to accept global warming shows a paucity of clear and critical thinking. It shows a condescending heard mentality based on what I listed above.

Going back to hurricanes. Last season was horrible - was it not? A CLEAR sign that global warming is HERE to stay.

Where are the hurricances this year? According to environmentalists we were all DOOMED by september.

Oh, and when was global freezing supposed to happen. It 1976 global freezing was going to be the death of us all?

What happened to that?

A glacier was coming just certain as night follows the day we were told. The evidence was ROCK solid - thus we were given this stupid EPA and judges were given the right to kill any project if the 'enviromentalists' didn't 'approve'.

Try not throw your silly evidence around.

Oh, and what about the ozone layer!! Holy smokes that right there was going to kill us all, and we got rid of Freon (which killed more astronauts because it was banned by environmentalists).

Environmentalists actions have killed more people than it saves. Want more proof? Think about the smaller cars we drive now.

More later, time to get to work.

Scott
The Anti-Environmentalist!!!

[Christine]

Scott,

You have great points. The bottom line is throughout the history (and pre-history) of the Earth we have had variations in climate. Most of these occured long before SUV's were invented. (witness the many ice ages vs. the age of the dinosaurs when the earth was warmer than it is now) One big volcanic eruption will do far more to influence climate than an entire country full of SUV's.

That said, I think resource conservation is prudent, so I applaud 'Burbs for getting a more fuel efficient car. But if "greenhouse gas" is your main concern you might do better to stop eating beef and diary (cattle create lots of methane) and don't run, bike or engage in vigorous exercise (exercise causes you to expell more CO2)

You might actually expell more greenhouse gas per pound of food by your organic gardening (that exercise thing again)than a factory farm with its efficiencies and economies of scale would.

[Christine]

Scott,

You have great points. The bottom line is throughout the history (and pre-history) of the Earth we have had variations in climate. Most of these occured long before SUV's were invented. (witness the many ice ages vs. the age of the dinosaurs when the earth was warmer than it is now) One big volcanic eruption will do far more to influence climate than an entire country full of SUV's.

That said, I think resource conservation is prudent, so I applaud 'Burbs for getting a more fuel efficient car. But if "greenhouse gas" is your main concern you might do better to stop eating beef and diary (cattle create lots of methane) and don't run, bike or engage in vigorous exercise (exercise causes you to expell more CO2)

You might actually expell more greenhouse gas per pound of food by your organic gardening (that exercise thing again)than a factory farm with its efficiencies and economies of scale would.

[Christine]

sorry I posted twice. it was a system thing

[NW burbs]

Holy Cow! ;)

Now I've heard it all.

Christine and Scott, did you write that with a straight face? You honestly believe that a person and a cow release more greenhouse gas than even the most fuel efficient car? Or that trees somehow "create" greenhouse gases?

Wow. That is, simply put, delusional.

Yes, there have been fluctuations in the planet's temps -- Ice Ages, Hot Spells, etc. But none have happened within 100 years' time (the timeframe of the current warm-up). The only difference between now and any previous heating spells is pollution (pollution didn't exist in anywhere near the volume it does now before the Industrial Age).

Yes, trees "exhale" CO2 at certain points in their day cycle, but they also convert a heck of a lot of CO2 and release oxygen in the process (storing the carbon as a solid in the tree's structure -- branches, roots, trunk, leaves, etc). Can't say the same for cars, which convert carbons from a liquid state to a gas (and never recapture that carbon in any form, unlike trees).

And, your theory about people and cows ... well, people and cows have been around a lot longer than cars and factories. So it stands to reason the planet would've always been getting hotter if people and cows were the main cause.

It is vehicular and manufacturing pollution which is the new factor in the planet's climate, not people and cows.

You're grasping at straws because reality and facts are proving your oil company-funded agenda wrong (I'm just waiting for the quotes from the think tanks funded by ExxonMobil).

Do you have any idea how much energy it takes to raise ocean temps globally by even one degree (which is how much they've increased)? Try blowing up all the nukes in the world (US, Russia, etc) -- you might be able to raise the ocean's billions and billions of gallons of water by 1/2 a degree.

But go on and keep your heads in the sand. It is your agenda that causes you to ignore facts like those that True Blue pointed out, to the detriment of every human being.

Besides, these days with oil money funding al Qaida and the like smart energy and oil policy is also smart national security policy.

[tfb]

And of course this thread illustrates what I was talking about above in the thread above "Another Headache for Illinois". Instead of arguing with leftist why don't conservatives simply say, you know "I remain unconvinced" but let's address an area on which we can agree. And then switch the topic to a known win-win for environmental conservatives. For instance geothermic heat pumps. What is the possible objection can Republicans, Conservatives, or liberals have to them? Proven technology which is environmentally friendly etc, etc. Instead the parties at hand battle and nothing gets done. It just makes the Republicans and Conservatives look callous to the leftist who remain smug in their alleged intellectual superiority.

[Joe]

You are so quick to dismiss a Democrat who simply speaks on the issues that he feels strongly about. I agree that traveling in a SUV to speak about energy dependence and environmental issues is a stupid move; but how often are Republicans also hypocritical? We should pay less attention to the party affiliation and more to the problems at hand. Remember that the Polar Ice Caps are melting, and in fifty years there will not be any fish left in the oceans. Stop the spin, and stop being so shortsighted. Politics wont matter much in a hundred years if we have completely destroyed the environment.

[Ryan]

Well, it depends on the owner of the SUV's to save or not! Juts like me, i love SUV, i love accesorizing it. i bought this and that at http://www.suvandtruckparts.com

[a wilson]

I feel as though the technology exists today to not only produce fuel efficient vehicles, but also zero emissions vehicles similar to the Tessla Roadster. I sometimes wonder how difficult it would be for our automotive designers and engineers to simply purchase an electric vehicle, dismantle it and see how we can improve on the design. If nobody noticed, that's what the japaneese did, and they honestly make some of the best vehicles available on the market. How much do you like paying $4.00 a gallon at the pump? How much do you like knowing that most of the time the price of fuel goes up, and rarely down. What could you do with the money you would save?

[Brian]

Kill the messenger because of the message, right boys?