Obama to Unveil New Energy Plan

Sen. Barack Obama, celebrating his 47th birthday today, will give his campaign a present today in Lansing, MI, when he announces a new energy plan. The plan, dubbed "New Energy for America" will have as its centerpiece an energy rebate to American families to be paid for by a windfall profits tax on American oil companies. Obama also recently changed his position on offshore drilling, saying that he would now be open to expanding oil production at home as part of a package with incentives for alternative fuels. Obama had as recently as two weeks ago been opposed to increased drilling.

Both the energy rebate and support for drilling are new features of Obama's energy policy. His previous energy plan contained no mention of either, leading to speculation on the reason for the policy shift. Sen. John McCain has been hitting Obama hard on the issue of gas prices, running an ad directly linking Obama's refusal to support increased production and prices at the pump. House Republicans have also been putting a great deal of pressure on Democratic leaders of Congress to allow a vote on offshore drilling, a debate that they appear to be winning with the American people. Pols show that large majorities of Americans support increasing American oil production in an attempt to lower gas prices.

But an overlooked reason for the policy shift by the Obama campaign may be the vice-presidential search. Virginia Governor Tim Kaine has reportedly been getting a lot of attention as a possible running mate for Sen. Obama. Kaine supports drilling off the Virginia coast, and will likely sign a bill passed last month by the state legislature to allow exploration for oil resources in Virginia coastal waters. The sudden change by the Obama campaign to favor limited exploration for oil may be designed to preempt questions about differences between Obama and his running mate.