Deja vu on energy

It may indeed be true, as John McCain said today in Las Vegas, "Political campaigns have a way of settling on a few great questions [and] in this election, the price and security of energy in America is one of those great questions."

But the daily attack-and-counterattack between McCain and Barack Obama on the issue is starting to have a "Groundhog Day" quality -- or lack thereof -- to it.

Both camps hold conference calls and send out memos and emails to repeat the same accusations and make the same arguments -- McCain that Obama is "Dr. No" with no solutions, Obama that McCain is pandering and only offering unrealistic or ill-formed proposals. Depending on where the other candidate is, there is a local element -- Obama hit McCain on offshore oil drilling on Tuesday, and is bashing him today for his support of the proposed nuclear waste repository in Nevada.

Obama did add one new wrinkle today -- a website that puts his spin on the differences with McCain.

“The American people aren’t looking for more gimmicks or more of George Bush’s failed policies—they’re looking for a serious, national commitment to solving the energy crisis. Barack Obama offers a new approach that will provide real relief from soaring prices and invest $150 billion in renewable and alternative energy sources over the next ten years—breaking our dependence on foreign oil and creating millions of new jobs,” Obama spokesman Hari Sevugan said.

UPDATE: McCain today launched a web ad that riffs on the "Dr. No" theme -- including theme music like the James Bond movie.

In his Las Vegas speech, he called for weaning the United States off foreign oil by 2025 through an expansion of offshore oil drilling, nuclear power, and conservation. He described it as a declaration of energy independence and called it the "Lexington project," an allusion to the crucial Revolutionary war battle.