Palin fuels ANWR shift speculation

GOP lawmakers had mixed reactions Thursday about whether Sen. John McCain will change his position on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) after his running mate said she is lobbying the Arizona senator on the hot-button issue.

In an interview on Fox News’s “Hannity and Colmes” that aired Wednesday night, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin touted her support for ANWR drilling.

{mosads}She said it was “no secret” that she and McCain disagree, adding, “I’m going to keep working on him with ANWR.”

Asked if McCain was “softening,” Palin responded, “Well, I’m very, very encouraged, as we all understand that John McCain knows, more so than any other leader in our nation today, that for national security reasons we must be an energy-independent nation. We must start taking the steps to get there. That’s why he has embraced offshore drilling.”

McCain changed his position on offshore drilling earlier this year.

House Republican Conference Chairman Adam Putnam (Fla.) said he wasn’t sure whether McCain would reconsider his ANWR position but pointed out Palin has firsthand expertise on the issue.

“Certainly, having the governor [who] represents the state and understands better than anyone the balance between energy production and an environmentally based tourist economy … gives him the ability to say he’s talked to someone who knows the most about it and has been assured that the concerns that he had previously have been assuaged,” Putnam said.

Politically, a change in McCain’s ANWR position would put the GOP nominee more in line with the rest of his party. It would also indicate that Palin has a large policymaking role on the ticket.

McCain recently indicated that he greatly respects Palin’s expertise on energy, saying, “She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of America.”

A change on ANWR would also be portrayed as another flip-flop by McCain critics. While the flip-flop label stuck to Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) in 2004, one lawmaker said it isn’t resonating this year.

Republican Conference Policy Chairman Thaddeus McCotter (Mich.) said the nature of the 2008 campaigns allows for both candidates to change their minds on issues if they receive new information, with little political damage.

“The public right now is afraid of rigid ideology. They want principles, but they do not want rigid ideology,” he said.

Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who co-chaired the Republican Convention Platform Committee, said, “I think [changing positions] would be fine for Sen. McCain. The American public opinion, when it comes to offshore [drilling], has fundamentally shifted.”

The Republican platform, consistent with McCain’s position, does not call for drilling in ANWR.

Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), who opposes drilling in ANWR, believes a shift is unlikely this late in the cycle, saying, “He’s not going to change before the election.”

Republican strategist Todd Harris also said he would be surprised if McCain’s position on ANWR changed before the election, but added that if gas prices climb after a McCain victory, a shift may occur.

David Jenkins, government affairs director of Republicans for Environmental Protection (REP), doubts McCain will flip on ANWR.

“McCain has come to that position after a lot of thought and input,” Jenkins said.

REP, which opposes ANWR drilling, has endorsed McCain for president. It did not endorse George W. Bush in 2000 or in 2004, Jenkins said.

Bob Cusack contributed to this article.