Drill, Baby, Drill!

You can't help but be reminded of George H.W. Bush picking Dan Quayle to be his running mate when you hear about John McCain's choice of another young, relatively unknown politician to be his No. 2. But to paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, the man Quayle had to debate in the 1988 election, "Sarah Palin is no Dan Quayle."

Unlike Quayle, who left very little of an impression when he was trotted out on the national stage, Polin has an expressive, folksy nature and just happens to have strong views about one of the top issues in this election—energy and oil.

Palin, the 44-year-old who has been governor of Alaska for only two years, is outspoken in her support of greater drilling in the United States. And she's not shy about opening up more of her own state to drilling.

Asked recently on CNBC about drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska (a.k.a. ANWAR), Palin said she was appreciative that President George W. Bush's backing of drilling there and was disappointed Congress didn't act.

What about John McCain, who in the past didn't like the drilling idea but this year has become more open as he's been running for president?

"I have not talked him into ANWAR yet, but yeah, aren't you appreciative though that his mind has evolved to being open enough to say yes to that offshore? Obama certainly hasn't gotten there," Palin told CNBC's Larry Kudlow on July 31. Watch the clip by clicking here.

And here's a line you're likely to hear more of, now that Palin hits the campaign trail with McCain. "We certainly need this. We need it for American security, for energy independence," Palin said.

J. Jennings Moss

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