Obama says energy policy a moral issue

By RON FOURNIER, Associated Press Writer Sat Aug 18, 5:38 PM ET

WAVERLY, Iowa - Democrat Barack Obama said Saturday the country faces an "an urgent moral challenge" to reduce reliance on oil and needs a president willing to defy special interests in Washington that dictate energy policy.

Obama, casting himself an agent of change in a crowded field of White House hopefuls, suggested that he is voters' best bet to shake up the status quo. "We've got to have a president in the White House who sets bold targets and sets broad goals and isn't intimidated by the barriers and the roadblocks and isn't driven by those who already have an investment in the status quo — somebody who can overcome the lobby-driven, divisive politics that characterizes this issue," Obama told about 300 people at Waverly Light and Power, the city utility. Words like "divisive" and "lobby-driven" are used by Obama supporters to describe Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, a former first lady who is billing herself on the 2008 campaign trail as the only candidate experienced enough to make a change in Washington. Obama did not mention Clinton or other rivals by name. But he did accuse the Bush administration of putting oil industry interests ahead of the public's. "We've got an energy policy that doesn't just seem like it's written by industry lobbyists," he said. "It was written by energy lobbyists." Vice President Dick Cheney led the administration's energy task force, which Obama said met once with environmentalists, once with renewable energy experts and 40 times with oil industry leaders. Environmentalists have their own special interest groups and lobbyists, but Obama did not decry them. Obama, Clinton and fellow Democratic candidate John Edwards have been arguing over their ties to lobbyists and special interests. Obama's visit to this riverside town of nearly 9,000 was one stop in a weekend of activity for Democratic candidates gearing up for a Sunday morning debate in Des Moines. In the eastern part of the state, Clinton and Edwards were joined by candidates Joe Biden and Chris Dodd at an event at a minor league baseball field where they ate boiled sweet corn and made their pitches to more than 1,000 people. "We need to make it absolutely clear that the Democratic party is the party of the people, not the party of Washington insiders," Edwards told the crowd that gathered in rain and unseasonably cool temperatures at Alliant Energy Field in Clinton. "We're going to have to reform Washington, and I know that's got to be a high priority," Clinton said. Biden also spoke about the middle class, and said the money spent on the war in Iraq is "bleeding us, our treasure and the blood of our children." Dodd, a longtime senator from Connecticut, touted his experience and said he's got the skills to lead the country. Most of the candidates were expected at a labor forum Saturday night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Obama plans to attend fewer such multicandidate events in the future, his campaign manager wrote on Obama's 2008 Web site. "We simply cannot continue to hopscotch from forum to forum and run a campaign true to the bottom up movement for change that propelled Barack into this race," David Plouffe wrote. He added, "I think this approach will be better for the voters and the campaign." He said Obama was committed to five remaining debates sanctioned by the Democratic National Committee, two Iowa debates in December and one in Florida on Sept. 9. Many of Obama's rivals also have complained about the overwhelming number of multicandidate gatherings and could follow suit. In Waverly, Obama outlined his plans to require the use of more renewable energy, lower carbon in fuels and increase fuel efficiency of cars. Obama noted that his call to increase the number of miles an automobile can go on a gallon of gas upset politically important special interests in Detroit. But he said smart energy policies are needed to reduce global warming, lower gas prices and make the country less reliant on foreign oil. "It's an urgent moral challenge that demands attention now," he said. "We can free ourselves from the tyranny of oil." ___ Associat