As to the sincerity of Udall's conversion, only the commercial paid for by
his senate campaign backs him up. All other evidence suggests that this is
a poll-driven conversion of political convenience.
Udall's campaign website dwells on developing wind and solar power but says
little about developing new sources of oil and gas. Instead, Udall falls
back on old liberal canards: "we cannot drill our way to energy security"
and "not every place that can support oil drilling should be drilled."
Consider, also, Udall's five-point plan to address rising gas prices. Four
points do nothing to increase domestic energy resources. A fifth supports
drilling off the shore of Cuba but is contained in a Udall-sponsored bill
that hasn't even received a congressional hearing since it was introduced
over a year ago.
If Udall were serious about developing domestic energy, wouldn't he have
demanded a vote on his own bill before allowing Congress to take its summer
vacation? Instead, Udall was campaigning in Colorado when a vote to
consider a genuine domestic energy bill fell short by just one vote.
Finally, it would be foolish not to acknowledge that Udall's wife spent 20
years working for Sierra Club, whose webpage features a petition
congratulating Speaker Nancy Pelosi for adjourning without bringing oil
exploration to a vote.
Mark Udall hasn't changed his stripes. That's great news for his liberal
base, but it's bad news for Coloradans who want affordable gas prices.