Obama 's midterm tack: Owner's manual

by Michael Muskal

Fresh from a major victory in the highly charged healthcare debate, President Barack Obama today offered a glimpse of how he plans to deal with political battles in the future as he formally unveiled his energy policy.

Think of them as Obama's political rules in this midterm election year.

In a speech at Andrews Air Force Base, the president formally unveiled his policy. As expected, he reversed a long-term government stance in announcing an expansion of offshore oil-drilling along the Atlantic coast. The administration will also consider potential new areas for development in the Gulf of Mexico and continue the development of leased areas off the North Slope of Alaska, while protecting Alaska's Bristol Bay.

Obama sought to find space on the energy issue and in the process showed his political approach:

1. Move slowly and weigh the issue.

Announcing his reversal, Obama said: "This is not a decision that I've made lightly." The president and top advisors have "looked at closely for more than a year" at the issue.

2. Seek a golden mean and recognize that any decision will be controversial.

"There will be those who strongly disagree with this decision, including those who say we should not open any new areas to drilling," Obama said. "On the other side, there will be those who argue that we do not go nearly far enough.''

3. Despite the controversy, present the issue as too important to ignore.

"Ultimately, we need to move beyond the tired debates between right and left, between business leaders and environmentalists, between those who would claim drilling is a cure all and those who would claim it has no place," Obama said. "Because this issue is just too important to allow our progress to languish while we fight the same old battles over and over again."

4. Think globally, act locally

"While our politics has remained entrenched along worn divides, the ground has shifted beneath our feet," Obama said

"Around the world, countries are seeking an edge in the global marketplace by investing in new ways of producing and saving energy,'' he said. "From China to Germany, these nations recognize that the country that leads the clean energy economy will be the country that leads the global economy. Meanwhile, here at home, as politicians in Washington debate endlessly whether to act, our own military has determined that we can't afford not to.

5. Offer a bipartisan olive branch, even if it is likely to be rejected.

"So I am open to proposals from my Democratic and Republican friends,'' he said. "I believe we can move beyond the broken politics of the past. And I know that we can come together to pass comprehensive energy and climate legislation that will foster new industries and millions of new jobs protecting our planet and helping us become more energy independent. That's what we can do. That's what we must do. And I am confident that that is what we will do."