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    In Keystone wake, Obama campaign touts energy in first ad

    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama's re-election campaign sought to manage fallout on Thursday from his decision to nix a new oil pipeline, putting up its first television ad of 2012 to promote his energy record.

    Obama, who is fighting to retain the White House in the November presidential election, came under heated criticism from Republicans for deciding on Wednesday to reject the Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada.

    The president blamed Republicans for forcing his hand by inserting an "arbitrary" deadline for a decision into a deal to extend the U.S. payroll tax cut.

    The campaign's first major ad buy reflected the seriousness with which it views energy as a potential weakness for the president going into the 2012 contest.

    The ad sought to discredit his opponents for attacking Obama's record, including the administration's loan support for a solar energy company, Solyndra, which later went bankrupt.

    "For the first time in 13 years ... our dependence on foreign oil is below 50 percent," the ad's voiceover says.

    "President Obama kept his promise to toughen ethics rules ... and strengthen America's energy economy."

    Republicans said the ad was a sign of a defensive president.

    "Instead of talking jobs and the economy, Obama defended his ... energy and ethical record? Well, the reviews are in and it's clear Team Obama is on defense," Republican National Committee spokeswoman Kirstin Kukowski said in an email, highlighting media coverage of the ad that described it as defensive.

    The 30-second spot is running in the electoral battleground states of Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia and Wisconsin. It did not mention Keystone specifically.

    The ad is the campaign's first in 2012 and its biggest television buy overall. The campaign did a small advertising purchase on satellite television in 2011, a spokesman said.

    (Reporting By Jeff Mason; Editing by Doina Chiacu)

     

    91 comments

    • Perry  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Only the people already voting for him will listen to this hogwash. The votes he lost in the last 24 hrs are gone for good. The only energy jobs he wants are ones like Solyandra.
    • griz  •  Richardson, Texas  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      One question, one answer. Ask yourself, or do the research. What was gasoline a gallon when Obungler took over? ....and if it is significantly higher, which it is, than tell em where to stick their energy policy and vote this spending addict out in 2012.
    • Monk  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Epic Failure!!! The worst, most anti-American, most incompetent president since Jimmy Carter does it again!
    • BETTER TOMORROW  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Let's see.... We are all paying more than TWICE what we were paying for gas when he came in..... he has lost TONS OF MONEY on clean energy companies, abandoned friendly countries in OPEC, killed the Keystone project, ..... now what was the 'success' you were about to tell us about??? LIAR!!! MOST DIVISIVE AND UN-AMERICAN PRESIDENT EVER! the only reason imports are down is because our economy is so bad we are using LESS OIL!
    • dal  •  Dayton, Ohio  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      This is one problem he can't blame on Bush
    • he lies  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      In Keystone wake, Obama campaign touts energy in first ad

      Is the ad about Solyndra?
    • P-47 THUNDERBOLT  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Total Personal Staff members for other first ladies paid by taxpayers:
      Mamie Eisenhower: One-- paid for personally out of President's salary.


      Jackie Kennedy: One
      Rosaline Carter: One
      Barbara Bush: One
      Hilary Clinton: Three
      Laura Bush: One
      Michele Obama: Twenty-two

      Michele Obama's personal staff:
      One.. $172,200 - Sher, Susan (Chief Of Staff)
      Two.. $140,000 - Frye, Jocelyn C. (Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Policy And Projects For The First Lady)
      Three.. $113,000 - Rogers, Desiree G. (Special Assistant to the President and White House Social Secretary for Mrs. Obama)
      Four.. $102,000 - Johnston, Camille Y. (Special Assistant to the President and Director of Communications for the First Lady)
      Five.. $100,000 - Winter, Melissa (Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
      Six.. $90,000 Medina , David S. (Deputy Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
      Seven.. $84,000 - Lilyveld, Catherine M. (Director and Press Secretary to the First Lady)
      Eight.. $75,000 - Starkey, Frances M. (Director of Scheduling and Advance for the First Lady)
      Nine.. $70,000 - Sanders, Trooper (Deputy Director of Policy and Project for the First Lady)
      Ten.. $65,000 - Burnough, Erinn (Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
      Eleven.. $64,000 - Reinstein, Joseph B.(Deputy Director and Deputy Social Secretary)
      Twelve.. $62,000 - Goodman, Jennifer R. (Deputy Director of Scheduling and Events Coordinator For The First Lady)
      Thirteen.. $60,000 Fitz, Alan O.(Deputy Director of Adance and Trip Director for the First Lady)
      Fourteen.. $57,500 - Lewis, Dana M. (Special Assistant and Personal Aide to the First Lady)
      Fifteen.. $52,500 - Mustaphi, Semonti M. (Associate Director and Deputy Press Secretary To The First Lady)
      Sixteen.. $50,000 - Jarvis, Kristen E. (Special Assistant for Scheduling and Traveling Aide To The First Lady)
      Seventeen.. $45,000 - Lechtenberg, Tyler A. (Associate Director of Correspondence For The First Lady)
      Eighteen.. $43,000 - Tubman, Samanth a (Deputy Associate Director, Social Office)
      Nineteen.. $40,000 - Boswell, Joseph J. (Executive Assistant to the Chief Of Staff to the First Lady)
      Twenty.. $36,000 - Armbruster, Sally M. (Staff Assistant to the Social Secretary)
      Twenty-One.. $35,000 - Bookey, Natalie (Staff Assistant)
      Twenty-Two.. $35,000 - Jackson, Deilia A. (Deputy Associate Director of Correspondence for the First Lady)

      Total $1,591,200 in annual salaries

      There has NEVER been anyone in the White House at any time who has created such an army of staffers whose sole duties are the facilitation of the First Lady's social life.

      One wonders why she needs so much help, at taxpayer expense.

      Note: This does not include makeup artist Ingrid Grimes-Miles, 49, and "First Hairstylist" Johnny Wright, 31, both of whom traveled aboard Air Force One to Europe ...
    • Jerry  •  Livingston, New Jersey  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      How come gas prices are nearly double from when he took office ?
    • dal  •  Dayton, Ohio  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      If this guys nose was made out of wood, There would be no Energy Crisis
    • rider89  •  St Louis, Missouri  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      "For the first time in 13 years ... our dependence on foreign oil is below 50 percent,"
      after wrecking the economy, stopping oil production in the gulf ($4 gas), etc, etc, I don't know if that is such a good stat to brag about.
    • dal  •  Dayton, Ohio  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      6 out of 12 Green Energy Companies already filed for bankrucy, the rest will in 2013 if Obama can keep them propped up, with your money, G.M. to stop production of the Volt in June if sales don't pick up, 3,200 sold, mostly to the goverment, 4,800 still on the dealers lots being counted as sold, closing of 10 Power Plants because they burn coal, supporting Ethanol thats driving the cost of groceries through the roof, Some Energy Policy
    • X  •  Houston, Texas  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      "ONE & DONE!" Signed, sealed and delivered with this EPIC FAIL!!! Bye, bye Obama . . . Now Yahoo / Always Broadcasting Crap (ABC) can couter post with a few of there counter posters, cheerleaders, blind-followers and kool-aide drinkers.
    • Sickov Idiotz  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Obama's energy policy is simple: Make it expensive. From killing oil, gas and coal projects;
      to directing the EPA to set even more strict (and more expensive) emissions standards on power plants, Obama is trying to drive up the cost of energy in hopes that doing so will hasten the transition to "cheap, clean, renewable" energy that is the wet-dream of all the green weenies but, unfortunately, does not yet exist......
    • oakland  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Obama always does the opposite of what's good for the country.
    • dtm  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Another day......another lie. The man has no shame!
    • obamabinlyin  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      How typical Barry Obama:first destroy America's chances of being energy independent, then put out a campaign ad touting American energy independence. Let's get rid of this fraud in November!
    • Michael  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      "The president blamed Republicans for forcing his hand by inserting an "arbitrary" deadline for a decision into a deal to extend the U.S. payroll tax cut."

      Nothing wrong with forcing Obama to make a decision-he is just to used to voting "present" on important issues.
    • Kaimana  •  Rye, New York  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      This jerk NEVER FAILS to DISAPPOINT.
    • Malik  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      Hell, if Nancy Pelosi's brother-in-law owned the pipeline company, Obama would have funded the project with tax dollars.
    • SysRq  •  1 mth 4 days ago
      "The president blamed Republicans". That's the whole story of this man-child's presidency.
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