Offshore Drilling or How a Campaign Promise was Fulfilled

Barack Obama has laid out a plan to begin drilling for oil off the shores of the United States. The White House announced that drilling would begin off the coast of Virginia. He will open up exploration along the east coast down into the Gulf of Mexico. Here is a map, courtesy of the New York Times.

Obama claims that this is a decision made to ease America’s energy concerns, but could this be a maneuver to appease the right? The McCain/Palin campaign ran with the chant “Drill, baby, drill”, which met opposition from the left. By fulfilling a campaign promise from the right, Obama has alienated some of his supporters.

Oil officials and Republicans say the president did not go far enough.

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