Slipping in Poll = Flipping on Oil

I thought I’d blog this evening about the number of young AA’s heckling Obama today in Florida but something more astounding came to light.  No, it wasn’t that Youtube from the McCain camp featuring the ‘ONE’ and Charlton Heston parting the read sea.  It’s the latest under the bus moment.  Environmentalists and Mother Nature (one bitter OLD woman) are now under the bus

The correlation between Obama’s falling poll numbers and today’s flip-flop on offshore drilling has to be more than just a coincidence.  Obama’s positions are continually linked to nothing remotely resembling sticking up for a cause.  His positions are truly based on whatever he thinks will get him into the White House.  I have to ask any one supporting him if they actually believe that anything he says right now isn’t subject to revision and negotiation?

First up, this morning’s Gallup polls that show McCain and Obama in a dead heat.  This is a historical oddity given the incredible unpopularity of the Republican Party and President (sic) George W. Bush.  Also, given the state of the economy, the Democrats should be able to run an eggplant against a Republican right now and be WAY up in the polls.  Sorry, Governor Dukkakis, I really didn’t mean you, although I have to point to the HUGE lead you had in the polls during that election cycle.  This is not puzzling to me, however, it seems to endlessly confuse the Obama-enamored press.  Perhaps they need to buy a clue from a few Pumas.

We’ve paid a lot of attention to Gallup polls this week, in the wake of seemingly contradictory results by the most-famed brand name in gauging public opinion. By one Gallup measure, John McCain was up; Barack Obama had a solid lead in a different survey by the company and a narrower advantage among a third sample group.

Today, the Gallup daily tracking poll — the rolling average of voter interviews conducted, in this case, on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday— shows the race at almost a dead heat. Obama had a statistically insignificant one-percentage-point lead over McCain, 45% to 44%.

source:  http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/washington/2008/07/gallup-poll-upd.html

Later in the day, we see this coming over the AP WIRE:

Obama shifts, says he may back offshore drilling

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Friday he would be willing to support limited additional offshore oil drilling if that’s what it takes to enact a comprehensive policy to foster fuel-efficient autos and develop alternate energy sources.

Shifting from his previous opposition to expanded offshore drilling, the Illinois senator told a Florida newspaper he could get behind a compromise with Republicans and oil companies to prevent gridlock over energy.

Republican rival John McCain, who earlier dropped his opposition to offshore drilling, has been criticizing Obama on the stump and in broadcast ads for clinging to his opposition as gasoline prices topped $4 a gallon. Polls indicate these attacks have helped McCain gain ground on Obama.

I guess some one had to tell him that cars don’t really need tuning any more and that we’d all figured out the inflate your tires thing from the old Mario Andretti commercials.  Perhaps Obama’s typical white grandmother should have kept him home from his world trip and made him do some home work on a national energy policy instead.
Can anything be more opportunistic than a pol looking to halt a freefall in a poll?  Can some one get on the phone to Al Gore and ask him what he thinks about this?  How will the Cheeto and Huffpost spin this latest Obama flip-flop?  How about Move On that has all those commercials out there talking about how disappointed folks are that McCain flipped on offshore drilling?  Will Move On have to pull the ads?

McCain may be able to get away with the explanation that the facts on the ground demand a reassessment of the plan, but I doubt after so many switcheroos that Obama can credibly claim the same.  Meanwhile,  Mother Nature joins us under the Bus.

Remember, Barack:  It’s not nice to fool with Mother Nature… especially when there’s a Puma right there with her!