With Primary Over, Obama Urges Full Florida, Michigan Vote
It comes too late for Senator Clinton, but Senator Obama is officially requesting that the delegations from Florida and Michigan be seated in full at the Democratic National Convention in Denver later this month. Mr. Obama wrote a letter to the convention's credentials committee urging a full vote for the two states, whose disputed primaries in January sparked a prolonged battle between Mr. Obama and Mrs. Clinton. A DNC panel awarded each state half a vote after an acrimonious public hearing in early June, dashing the former first lady's hopes for significantly narrowing Mr. Obama's lead in delegates. The states had been punished for holding early primaries, and Mrs. Clinton won both elections, which were largely uncontested. In a carefully worded letter, Mr. Obama briefly acknowledged taking a different position during the primary, but he appealed to "party unity" in backing a full vote for Florida and Michigan now. The move was a foregone conclusion, since Mr. Obama had indicated he would support the arrangement once he was the nominee to avoid alienating voters in each state. Mrs. Clinton released a statement yesterday voicing her support for the move, and the committee chairmen said the matter would be the "top priority" at its next meeting.
OBAMA TO LAY OUT NEW ENERGY PLAN TODAY
Senator Obama will lay out a new energy plan today in Michigan that his campaign says will include "immediate energy rebates," create 5 million "green jobs," and eliminate America's dependence on oil from the Middle East within a decade. The presumptive Democratic nominee unveiled a comprehensive energy strategy earlier in the campaign, but has drawn criticism for offering little remedy for record gas prices. The McCain campaign has derided him as a "Dr. No" on energy, citing his opposition both to offshore oil drilling and a gas tax holiday. Mr. Obama has refined his position on offshore drilling in recent days as polls have shown public support for the idea. While he says he remains personally opposed to it, he said he would be open to a bipartisan compromise in the works in the Senate that would combine some drilling with the repeal of tax breaks for oil companies and new investments in alternative fuels.
