Arnie Rips Would-Be Oil Drillers for 'Blowing Smoke'

At a Florida climate summit today, Arnold Schwarzenegger broke from prepared remarks to lay into offshore oil drilling, criticizing its supporters—who include President Bush, John McCain, and his host, fellow Republican governor Charlie Crist—as "blowing smoke."  "To look for new ways to feed our addiction is not the answer," Schwarzenegger said, reports the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.

Of course, Arnie wasn’t all negative, praising Crist—a possible McCain running mate—on global warming leadership and joining with him in praising electric cars. But Schwarzenegger saved his strongest words for disagreeing with his party’s standard-bearers, charging that crude-seekers had it all wrong: “America is so addicted to oil that it will take years to ween ourselves from it.” (More John McCain stories.)