McCain made clear he has not ruled out a change in his position–to one that endorses drilling in ANWR. “I continue to examine it,” he said. So does his staff. McCain’s campaign has been quietly studying the ANWR issue and discussing the potential consequences–good and bad–of a policy change.
But in our conversation on August 13, McCain added a new wrinkle. When I asked him if he had consulted Palin about ANWR, he said that he had not yet done so. He added, “I probably should,” he said. “I will.”
So I called Palin to ask what McCain can expect to hear. The answer is that Palin, who has been mentioned as a possible McCain running mate but has not been vetted, will make a straightforward case for drilling in ANWR. She says McCain’s willingness to take another look at ANWR is “very encouraging.”
This is very positive development. Palin, my hope for McCain's VP choice, has said that she has been trying to sway McCain's opinion for some time. The highly popular Alaskan governor-hottie and mother of four would be a great pick to shore up conservatives and possibly gain a good number of disappointed former Clinton supporters.
If he intends to send a signal, its intended recipients will be pro-drilling conservatives … and compromisers in Congress. No compromise with Democrats would ever include opening ANWR to its original intended purpose. If McCain threatens to openly support ANWR drilling, it effectively torpedoes the Gang of 10 compromise.
Morrissey notes that only a small majority of Americans support drilling in ANWR, but that would change real quickly once McCain's team decided to start aggressively educating people on the issue. For an excellent piece on the wisdom of opening up ANWR, read Jon Utley's recent Reason article.
Also, for more information on why Sarah Palin would be a great pick, check out this post at The New Conservatives.
What do you think of Palin as a possible vice president?
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