quotables

McCain spins concerns about nuclear safety as anti-troops

“By the way, the next time Senator Obama tells you that nuclear power has got to be made safe and environmental and all that, take him over to see one of our Navy ships with nuclear power plants on it, my friends. And ask the men and women who serve proudly on those nuclear powered […]

Cause and defect

“How in the hell — heck — are you going to change it unless you know what caused it?” — Democratic vice presidential candidate Sen. Joe Biden, commenting on Republican VP candidate Sarah Palin’s repeated contention that the cause of climate change is uncertain

One way to get the economy moving

“They have a whole range of new tools from … all sorts of technical terms that I do not know. But they’re working very hard. And [former Goldman Sachs banker, now Treasury official] Neel Kashkari will be in charge of that. He’s setting up shop and trying to hire as many people as possible.” — […]

Inhofe digs deeper

“I think I was right on that … It’s not whether or not we’re going into a global warming period. We were. We’re not now. You know, God’s still up there. We’re now going through a cooling spell.” — Sen. James Inhofe, in an Oct. 7 debate with Democratic challenger Andrew Rice, defending his notorious […]

Financial shock and awe

“Not only have individual financial institutions become less vulnerable to shocks from underlying risk factors, but also the financial system as a whole has become more resilient.” — former Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan, in 2004

Can you see Russia from behind that skirt?

“This may sound gratuitous, but at least because Gov. Palin — Sarah Palin is so persuasive, I would like to come to Alaska. I haven’t been there in many years anyway, maybe I’ll agree to go visit that area and have a look.” — Sen. John McCain, continuing the slow walkback of his longstanding opposition […]

Fascinating L.A. Times article on racial and coal politics in Virginia

“We’re all black in the mines.” — Jerry Stallard, a coal union organizer in Virginia, arguing to his fellow miners that Obama’s support for unions and for coal is more important than the color of his skin

Oil economist denies peak oil

“Therefore there will never be a moment when the world runs out of oil because there will always be a price at which the last drop of oil can clear the market. And you can turn anything into oil into if you are willing to pay the financial and environmental price.” — Christof Rühl, chief […]

From the mouths of oil executives …

“There is certainly some potential. But to me the biggest potential in America that is not exploited is energy savings. There is such an immense opportunity.” — Paolo Scaroni, chief executive of Italian oil giant ENI, on offshore drilling