Obama Agree Of Some Offshore Oil Drilling

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Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and Republican presidential candidate John McCain have both been weighing on the issue of soaring gas prices and whether or not drilling for oil in U.S. coastal waters could help bring energy prices down. President Bush is scolding Democratic leaders in Congress for not voting to lift a ban on drilling before leaving for their August recess. VOA Correspondent Cindy Saine has the story from Washington.

At a news conference in Florida Saturday, Obama said he still does not believe the United States can “drill its way” out of its energy problems, but said he is willing to compromise in order to get a comprehensive energy solution. “And if we can come up with a genuine bipartisan compromise, in which I have to accept some things that I don’t like or the Democrats have to accept some things that they don’t like in exchange for actually moving us in the direction of actual energy independence, then that’s something I’m open to,” he said.

Mr. Obama has until now opposed any expansion of lands for offshore drilling. But in a news conference here, he noted that there had been very constructive talks between Senate Republicans and Democrats on this issue in recent days, applauding a plan unveiled by a group of Republican and Democratic senators to permit drilling while supporting an effort to convert most vehicles to using alternative fuels in 20 years.