Senator Barack Obama signaled openness to offshore drilling this weekend and his campaign issued a statement “welcoming” an energy proposal from 10 senators that would allow such drilling and subsidize liquid coal and the nuclear power industry.

At a campaign event today Sen. John McCain rejected the consensus view of independent experts that offshore drilling won’t impact gas prices. McCain said he believes oil company executives instead.

The House Republicans were met by 150 opponents of drilling, who carried signs with slogans such as "Grand Oil Party" and "Exxon John McCain" calling the Republicans out for cozying up to Big Oil and pushing a disingenuous plan that would do nothing to actually lower prices at the pump.

Big Oil has bought off the politicians in Washington. Ever since the passage of the Republican energy bill in 2005—with billions in corporate welfare for Big Oil—oil industry profits have increased. It’s no wonder they say G.O.P. stands for Grand Oil Party.

Flip-flopping John McCain said just two weeks ago that our dangerous dependence on oil ‘has been 30 years in the making,’ but now he tries to blame Obama—even though it’s McCain who has been in Washington for 26 years.

President Bush and John McCain should be trying to end America’s addiction to oil, but instead they’re pushing this gimmick that won’t do anything to lower the cost of gas.

Ads falsely claim McCain supports alternative energy when he has consistently opposed it and Obama has supported it