The Environment

The second 2008 presidential debate included a single, pointed question on global climate changefrom an audience member, but that didn't stop both candidates from working the issue of energy independence.

Sen. Barack Obama promised to cut greenhouse gases. "We cannot wait to stop global warming," Obama said. "We cannot wait to fix this country." He pledged to put mandatory caps on carbon dioxide emissions from industry.

Nuclear Wepons

A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions.Obama's goal is to eliminate all nuclear weapons in the world.“In 2009, we will have a window of opportunity to renew our global leadership and bring our nation together.” “If we don’t seize that moment, we may not get another.”

OffShore Drilling

Offshore drilling refers to the extracting underground resources which lie underwater.Its used when you are drilling somewhere to retrieve something important.We use offshore drilling for extraction of oil off the coasts of continents.

"My interest is in making sure we've got the kind of comprehensive energy policy that can bring down gas prices," Obama said in an interview with The Palm Beach Post. "If, in order to get that passed, we have to compromise in terms of a careful, well thought-out drilling strategy that was carefully circumscribed to avoid significant environmental damage -- I don't want to be so rigid that we can't get something done." Instead, Democrats crafted a rhetorical answer to the GOP's drilling campaign, calling on the oil companies to begin oil drilling on the millions of acres both on and offshore that have already been leased to them but remain untapped. Obama has taken up that line as part of his standard stump speech.The Republicans and the oil companies have been really beating the drums on drilling," Obama said in the Post interview. "And so we don't want gridlock. We want to get something done."

Republicans have consistently said they could craft legislation that would expand oil exploration on the outer continental shelf without jeopardizing delicate shoreline habitats. But Democratic leaders in Congress have been ardently opposed. Environmental groups, a key constituency, have been unyielding in their opposition.Sen. John McCain proposed lifting the ban on offshore drilling as part of his plan to reduce dependence on foreign oil and help combat rising gas prices."The stakes are high for our citizens and for our economy." "And with gasoline running at more than $4 a barrel ... a gallon ... I wish ... $4 a gallon, many do not have the luxury of waiting on the far-off plans of futurists and politicians," he said."We have proven oil reserves of at least 21 billion barrels in the United States. But a broad federal moratorium stands in the way of energy exploration and production. And I believe it is time for the federal government to lift these restrictions and to put our own reserves to use."