Bolling: Now, Let the Games Begin

(Please note that the views expressed in this article solely represent those of the author).

The 2008 Olympics are in the books. The U.S. won the most medals and China won the most Gold. Now it's time for the real games to begin.

The Democratic National Convention (DNC) kicks off this week, to be followed by the Republican National Convention (RNC) next week. The gamesmanship will far surpass that of the last two weeks in Beijing.

The Democrats will likely spend the week talking policy: the economy, energy, taxes, spending, trade and everything else that matters to them. Then they will presumably nominate Senator Barack Obama as their candidate with Senator Joe Biden at his side.

The GOP with go through the same drill and nominate Senator John McCain and whomever he chooses as a running mate.

Both parties will pound the podium with countless reasons why their candidate will help us navigate through the current economic "crisis," as Democrats deem it, or "slowdown," as Republicans deem it.

I think energy policy (or lack thereof) is the critical issue in the election. It is the reason we are paying $3 or $4 per gallon at the pump.

It is the reason everything from corn to coffee to bleach is substantially more expensive at the checkout counter. It is partly the reason why our housing sector is taking so long to recover, as people are finding it easier to walk away from a home than find a way to make the mortgage payments.

That's why there is only one candidate that should be considered at this point. Sen. McCain has told the world he wants to reduce our dependence on foreign oil by drilling offshore. We already know those waters contain an estimated 18 billion barrels of recoverable oil and gas equivalents, according to the the U.S. Geological Survey.