Yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) proposed lifting the federal ban on offshore oil drilling in Florida. “There are areas off our coasts that should be open to exploration and exploitation, and I hope we can take the first step by lifting the moratoria,” he said, a stark departure from his previous support of the ban.
As the Energy Information Administration noted, lifting the offshore drilling moratorium would have only a minor impact on production and prices. But some Florida conservatives are jumping on the McCain plan anyway. Gov. Charlie Crist (R-FL) — widely considered a possible McCain running mate — as late as last week opposed the drilling. Today, he flip-flopped and announced he supports McCain...