From Senator McCain blaming Barack Obama for high gas prices, to the House GOP’s recent (and ongoing) faux-libuster demanding an up-or-down vote on increasing domestic oil drilling, there’s no doubt that the Republican Party is pulling out all the stops to make oil the wedge issue in the upcoming election.

But speaking today at Michigan State University, Barack Obama revealed his “New Energy Plan For America,” which he said would create 5 million new jobs and eliminate our need for Middle Eastern oil in 10 years.

Obama’s plan would release light oil from the emergency oil stockpile and replace it later with heavier crude. Light crude oil is easier to refine into gasoline than heavier oil. In 2000, President Clinton used a similar tactic to make oil available at a time of rising oil prices. Obama’s new plan would also create a windfall profits tax on oil companies and a $1,000 energy rebate for families (read it here: Barack Obama’s New Energy Plan For America).

Obama’s remarks today in Michigan are part of a coordinated push-back against his Republican opponent. As part of that push, the Obama camp released a new television commercial linking McCain to Bush, Bush to McCain, and both of them to Big Oil. This post contains additional media. Click here to view the full post.

“Our dangerous dependence on foreign oil has been 30 years in the making and was caused by the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country.”

“What Senator McCain neglected to mention was that during those 30 years, he was in Washington for 26 of them.”

Related Posts:

• Why Liberals Should Be Happy Obama Changed His Position On Offshore Drilling
• 5 Reasons Why We Don’t Need a Windfall Profits Tax on Energy Firms
• Poll: Americans Don’t Think More Drilling Will Lower Gas Prices
• Obama Campaign Seeks To Make Oil Prices Irrelevant

Photo: Transplanted Mountaineer via flickr under a Creative Commons License