Obama calls for tapping into strategic oil reserves

Obama's new position aligns him with other Democratic leaders. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi sent President Bush a letter last month asking him to expand oil supplies by drawing down the reserve, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, has tried to get agreement on legislation requiring the release of 70 million barrels of oil from the government stockpile.

Even as he adjusts his position to account for fast-moving economic and political realities, Obama is taking the offensive. He released a campaign ad Monday criticizing McCain for accepting contributions from oil executives while supporting policies favorable to the industry.

The McCain campaign accused Obama of hypocrisy. "Not mentioned" in the ad, a McCain spokesman said in reply, is the "$400,000 from big-oil contributors that Barack Obama has already pocketed in this election."

The Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan government watchdog group, said Obama’s campaign had received about $400,000 in donations from oil and gas company executives and employees and their family members.

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peter.nicholas@latimes.com

janet.hook@latimes.com

Nicholas reported from Lansing, Mich., and Hook from Washington. Times staff writers Bob Drogin in Lafayette Hill, Pa., and Maeve Reston in Los Angeles contributed to this report.