Obama Faces Coal Backlash

Tezak says "the next couple of weeks could be very key for CTL industry." But she and Edmonds may underestimate the passions of the green caucus, a miscalculation Obama can ill afford on the march toward the 2008 election.

"We want to support him -- really -- but for many of us, climate change is a make-or-break issue in 2008," writes the Barack the Youth Vote blog, which is written by students ostensibly supporting his candidacy. "We need to be confident that our next president realizes the severity of the situation and is willing to take strong, even controversial, positions to save our climate."

Without mentioning Obama by name, MoveOn.org, a powerful Democratic grass-roots organization, sent an email to members on Monday declaring: "The Senate is about to vote on a big bill dealing with energy and the climate crisis. Massive subsidies for coal were defeated in committee. But we're not out of the woods yet, since one of the coal-friendly senators could sneak them back in again as an amendment just before the final vote."

As the energy bill debate unfolds, Obama must weigh the benefits CTL legislation will bring his Illinois constituents vs. the potential damage it can do to his presidential campaign. Should he choose to take the lead, however, the senator has an opportunity to use his famed eloquence to explain the potential benefits of coal-based energy in a way that may alienate fringe voters but could expand his appeal among moderates and even those who now see him as "left of Hillary."

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