Allen is a Joke on Ethanol

Well, I guess I'm making this "point out why George Allen can't be trusted with energy policy" week. Today's installment: ethanol. I'm a fan of ethanol. Its cleaner and it provides a new market for American agriculture (the fact that I am originally from Nebraska, where it helps the economy, doesn't hurt either). I know the gas station in my neighborhood that sells 10% ethanol and I go out of my way to buy there. 10% ethanol is 10% cleaner, 10% less climate change inducing, 10% less terrorist funding, 10% more American fuel. E85 fuel would be even more-so. George Allen has carefully weighed the issue and decided...that it is now politically in his best interests to support it. Allow The Des Moines (Iowa for those who don't know) Register to explain: George Allen, who "used to be a reliable vote against expanding the ethanol industry," seems to be "rethinking his position." "Would it have anything to do with the possibility that he may enter the Iowa caucuses and run for president in 2008?" Allen spokesman David Snepp said that Allen is "a lot more open to this process than he's been in the past," and has "been able to see where it connects with farmers and helps the local economy." [Des Moines Register, 5/25/05] How coincidental that, when Allen needs Iowa farmers to vote for him in the Presidential caucus, he suddenly finds religion on ethanol. Allen voted against ethanol 14 times. Since 2005 (when his Presidential ambitions ramped up) he has voted for it twice. In other words (and it disgusts me to use this phrase, even to mock him), George Allen was against ethanol before he was for it. Remember all those people at the 2004 Republican Presidential Convention? (BTW, I renew my call for them to take George Allen's suggestion and have it at the new Convention Center in Iraqi Kurdistan.) Remember those "Support the Troops" folks who wore band-aids with little purple hearts on them to crap on John Kerry's Vietnam service? Remember how they waved sandals in the air an cried "flip-flop, flip-flop"? Remember those folks? What exactly would they call this? A "nuanced position change" I'm sure. Sure a vote for ethanol is good. But what happens when it is no longer politically expedient for Allen to support ethanol? What happens when his Presidential hopes vanish and he nolonger needs to pander to Iowa? He goes right back to voting for Big Oil. Just like he has for six years. Jim Webb supports real alternative energy development. Don't be fooled by Allen's energy plan "hail mary". His last minute, slapped together "plan" is a joke. He's had six years to act on energy independence and he's done what he has done on every issue: jack squat. PS: Here's a diary I missed on RK which explains that "Allen's plan" was lifted from bills already introduced in Congress. Does the man have any original ideas, or does he just steal them all from his colleagues? PPS: I'm going to go a little off-topic here. I can't talk about Iowa without telling what I believe to be the first joke I remember hearing in my life: Why do all the trees in Nebraska lean to the east? Because Iowa sucks. A-thank you. To contribute to Jim Webb for Senate, click James Webb, VA-Sen, Virginia, Virginia Politics, Politics, Jim Webb, News, 2006, Senate, George Allen, 2006 Races, Democrats, Republicans, Campaigns, Congress, Campaigns-Elections, macaca