Obama's Energy Flip-Floppery

Matt Lewis | May 02, 2008 10:45 AM

While everyone is talking about gas tax holiday story, a very important story has gone largely unnoticed: Obama's inconsistency on the energy issue.

In truth,

Barack Obama has been all over the map on energy matters, flip-flopping like a fish out of water. Both fiscal conservatives and enviros could argue he’s been on the wrong side of virtually every specific energy debate since entering the Senate.

A couple weeks ago, Obama was saying there was no solution to rising fuel costs. Now, apparently, he believes there is a long-term solution: According to this Bloomberg piece this morning, Obama is pressing for a windfall tax on oil companies. Presumably, that's his solution ...

In fairness, Obama has previously sponsored legislation raising taxes on oil companies (which no other Senator was willing to sign-on to) -- but he also voted for the 2005 Energy Bill that offered tax breaks to the same companies(note Grist’s description of it as a “legendary porkfest").

... Interestingly, John McCain voted against the bill.