Whew! A big kerfuffle in the ’sphere today is over a comment that John McCain made, as pushed by Think Progress - McCain: I ‘Don’t See How It Matters’ That I Don’t Know The Price Of Gas, from the original story at the OC Register

WICKSOL: When was the last time you pumped your own gas and how much did it cost?

MCCAIN: Oh, I don’t remember. Now there’s Secret Service protection. But I’ve done it for many, many years. I don’t recall and frankly, I don’t see how it matters.

I’ve had hundreds and hundreds of town hall meetings, many as short a time ago as yesterday. I communicate with the people and they communicate with me very effectively.

And, of course, Think Progress, as well as many other lefties, such as the Huffington Post and Balloon Juice, and even some of those on the right (at least originally), bought in to the line of thinking that McCain is divorced from reality, and has no clue about the cost of gas. (See a ton of links at Memeorandum)

In fact, is it a question, which was coming not from the reporter, but one that was sent in by an OC Register reader. And, does it really matter? Sure, as James Joyner points out, he could have answered better, but, it is exactly the type of question that Obama rarely answers, says is a distraction, and is let off the hook on. Second, see that part about the Secret Service? That is because he was doing the interview over the phone after just getting off a plane, and was waiting for the USSS to get going. So, yup, he was in a bit of a hurry.

I’d like to ask how many people in a lot of states pump their own gas. Quite a few states do not allow you to. And, when was the last time you did it yourself? Me, a couple days ago, but, guess what? Can’t remember exactly which one.

But, there is also another pretty good reason for the answer, given later in the interview

I’ve been on the campaign trail for so long I don’t remember when I last filled up my own gas tank, but I certainly did for many, many, many years and I understand the difficulties and challenges that it poses for the people of California and my home state of Arizona.

Oops. Guess Think Progress forgot that one!

And, as Patterico points out

So, does John McCain know the cost of a gallon of gas in America? Yes, he does. Here’s a news story from June 18:

“The price of a gallon of gas in America stands at more than four dollars. Yesterday, a barrel of oil cost about 134 dollarsm” said McCain.

Again, that McCain quote is from June 18 — six days before the O.C. Register interview that Think Progress uses to claim McCain doesn’t know the price of gas.

He recommends you post the quote in bold at every blog who got it wrong.

How did this make the Washington Post?

Sen. John McCain pledged yesterday that he would make the federal government more environmentally friendly, while Sen. Barack Obama mocked his rival as crafting energy policies that merely pander to voters, in the latest skirmish over which presidential candidate is better prepared to tackle the nation’s energy and environmental problems.

If anyone would know about pandering it would be Mr. Hope and Change and Change and Hope.

In a speech in Santa Barbara, Calif., McCain (R-Ariz.) vowed to “put the purchasing power of the United States government on the side of green technology” by buying fuel-efficient vehicles for its civilian fleet of cars and trucks and by retrofitting federal office space. The pledge comes months after Obama (D-Ill.) outlined a more detailed and ambitious proposal on the subject, virtually ensuring that the next administration will take significant steps to lower the government’s output of energy and pollution.

So, let’s see: Obama has stated the same thing, yet, if McCain says it, it is pandering?

Greening the government is a good idea, and not just for the energy reductions and real environmental protections it affords. The government is out there preaching to the American People that the People need to change their whole lives, but government is offering to do little but change the light bulbs for themselves. Do as I say, not as I do. If they want people to follow, then government has to do what they are asking, and, in some cases mandating, the People to do.

And, who ya gonna trust? Someone with virtually no experience, or a guy who has tons of it?

“Every year, the federal government buys upwards of 60,000 cars and other vehicles, not including military or law enforcement vehicles,” McCain said as he campaigned with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a prominent GOP environmentalist. “From now on, we’re going to make those civilian vehicles flex-fuel capable, plug-in hybrid, or cars fueled by clean natural gas.”

Saying that the U.S. government ranks as “the single largest consumer of electricity in the world” because it holds sway over “3.3 billion square feet of federal office space” worldwide, McCain said he plans to reduce the government’s carbon footprint by updating its buildings and demanding better standards in new ones.

While I’m not buying the whole carbon footprint silliness, more fuel efficient vehicles leads to less real pollution. Plus the whole aforementioned “I’ll do as I say” stuff from the government.

He also shows that he believes in the Nanny State as the be all end all of existence. For a speech he is to give in Las Vegas on energy

For decades, John McCain has been a part of this failure in Washington. Yes, he has gone further than some in his party in speaking out on climate change. And that is commendable. But time and time again, he has opposed investing in the alternative sources of energy that have helped fuel some of the very same projects and businesses he’s highlighting in this campaign. He’s voted against biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power…

You mean the failure to stop Democrats and their extremist environmental lobbyists from blocking all meaningful attempts to allow more drilling in US territory, new refineries, new nuke plants? At least he has been there, Senator Neophyte. While you were out playing “community organizer,” Senator McCain was out there on the front lines.

Wind power and solar are nice, but only work in small areas. Hmm, and, isn’t it the Lion of the Senate who is the major force behind blocking the Cape Wind Project? I wonder who Teddy Kennedy has backed for President?

After all those years in Washington, John McCain still doesn’t get it. I commend him for his desire to accelerate the search for a battery that can power the cars of the future. I’ve been talking about this myself for the last few years. But I don’t think a $300 million prize is enough. When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn’t put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win — he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people. That’s the kind of effort we need to achieve energy independence in this country, and nothing less will do. But in this campaign, John McCain offering the same old gimmicks…

I guess this is where that word “Marxist” comes in to play. Obama does not believe in the power of the private industry, which does things better, faster, and more cost efficient then government. But, hey, let’s put tons of unnecessary money into a government boondoggle that takes decades longer to create something that is not that good.

But, don’t worry, Obama won’t tax Americans too much (cough) to pay for it, reducing what people have to spend on their own power needs in the here and now. You just have to trust the guy who has spent almost no time in government over the guy who has given a lifetime of service.

And, as much as the NY Times tries, they just cannot find a way to spin it too negatively

Mr. McCain, of Arizona, alienated some environmentalists last week during a speech in Houston when he dropped his opposition to allowing offshore drilling for oil; this week, in a swing through California, he spoke about trying to wean the nation from its dependence on oil. He called for improving the enforcement of fuel economy standards, building more cars that could run on alternative fuels, dropping the tariff on imports of sugar-based ethanol from Brazil and offering big tax credits for nonpolluting cars.

“I further propose we inspire the ingenuity and resolve of the American people,” Mr. McCain said, “by offering a $300 million prize for the development of a battery package that has the size, capacity, cost and power to leapfrog the commercially available plug-in hybrids or electric cars.”

He said the winner should deliver power at 30 percent of current costs. “That’s one dollar, one dollar, for every man, woman and child in the U.S. — a small price to pay for helping to break the back of our oil dependency,” he said.

Now that is the kind of idea that can really pay off!

Meanwhile, Obama continues to run around pushing corn based ethanol, along with tax breaks and subisdies, which, while a good idea at the start, is not viable for the long term.