President Bush

No Oregonian is slated to speak at the Republican National Convention next month, where U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) will be officially nominated as the party’s candidate for president, according to a list of speakers released Wednesday.

U.S. Sen. Gordon SmithA spokesman for the McCain campaign said Tuesday that McCain has not been concerned about U.S. Sen. Gordon Smith’s opposition to his energy policy.

“Not everyone is going to agree,” said McCain campaign spokesman Rick Gorka. “But at the end of the day America needs leaders with a bold new energy policy, and McCain is offering that.”

McCain has advocated for lifting the federal moratorium on offshore drilling in order to increase domestic fuel production. President Bush lifted the executive ban in June, but Congress would need to follow suit in order for drilling to commence.
 

Forty-six percent of Oregonians support U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), while 37 percent support U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) in their respective bids for the presidency, a new Rasmussen poll released Wednesday shows.

Obama increased his lead slightly from the last Rasmussen poll conducted in June, where he led McCain 46 percent to 38 percent. The new poll also reveals an increasing gap from a June 24 SurveyUSA poll, which had McCain polling within the margin of error.

State Sen. Doug WhitsettAs President Bush and Washington, D.C., lawmakers debate lifting the ban on offshore drilling, state Sen. Doug Whitsett (R-Klamath Falls) came out in support of offshore drilling and chastised Gov. Ted Kulongoski for not doing the same.