Obama Calls McCain Battery Proposal a 'Gimmick'

But First Snides Remarks: At this year's Alternative Fuel Vehicle Meeting, keynote speaker Dr. Robert Hirsch noted that Obama's suggested CAFE increase to 50MPG, would decrease the United States' need for imported oil by 6.5 million barrels of per DAY.

This decrease in imported oil would cost the world's oil exporters (OPEC and other good guys) almost $1 BILLION yes $1,000,000,000 a DAY, yes A DAY at $140 per barrel...is it no wonder than that the pro oil folks(sic) have pulled out all of the stops to prevent the sane world from reducing its dependance on the black gooey stuff Mother Nature put into the ground...let's see $1 Billion per day times 365 days per year...well you get the idea, pretty soon it all adds up to real money Let me know what you think, msnide@theautochannel.com

Washington DC June 25, 2008; The AIADA newsletter reported that Sen. Barack Obama on Tuesday ridiculed a proposal by his presidential rival, Arizona Sen. John McCain, to offer a $300 million taxpayer-funded cash prize to boost advanced battery research.

"When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn't put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win - he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people," the Illinois senator said in a speech in Las Vegas.

"That's the kind of effort we need to achieve energy independence in this country, and nothing less will do." Obama reiterated his plans to seek a new boost in fuel economy standards.

He has called for doubling fuel economy standards by 2027 to a combined fleet-wide average of 50 mpg(See Snides Remarks above).

The Detroit News reports that Obama will meet with Ford President and CEO Alan Mulally at a private meeting in Chicago today as well as with executives from Boeing, Comcast, and Duke Energy. For more on both candidates energy policy CLICK HERE