The Morning Telegraph: Palin Ignites Crowd In Tyler

*
Accused by her detractors of being a cheerleader for Big Oil, Sarah Palin told a crowd of East Texans Saturday night that when she says "Drill, baby, drill," she is calling for safe, responsible and ethical extraction of our domestic oil resources. In its Sunday edition, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reports:

Mrs. Palin talked about the "tragic" oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and what it means to be an energy secure, energy independent nation that domestically drills for oil. She said she comes from a family who understands oil contributions to families, communities and states and she is mindful of the potential tragedy of an oil spill, such as the Exxon Valdez spill in Alaska in 1989.

"Our heart is broken for them," she said of the BP oil spill victims.

She said Washington doesn't understand the need to be energy secure and President Barack Obama doesn't understand that there's a link between security and freedom while relying on others makes us less secure, less free and less prosperous.

"We don't want the government taking over private industry, and I don't think … that's something Obama understands," she said, adding that she is for domestic drilling with strict oversight. She said she supports free markets, believes in competition and a level playing field and letting the government get out of the way for a free and prosperous nation.

She said the White House has its fingers in so many things it shouldn't that it doesn't focus on the one thing it should be focused on -- national security.

Mrs. Palin said Obama asked for his job and the responsibilities that come with it, but he hasn't done anything to clean up the oil spill or prevent it from happening. He has blamed others and refused offers for help from other countries and local Gulf residents, she said.

She said Obama is now pushing for an energy tax that will skyrocket the costs of energy and "cap and tax" will be "nothing short of disaster," undermining the recovery in the short term and damaging the long term. Costs for everything from energy and transportation to groceries will be raised and the elderly and poor on fixed incomes will be hurt the most.

Mrs. Palin said she would have considered all ideas and all offers to help would be "on the table" and would have given the Louisiana governor as much latitude as he needed to protect his coastline. She said she would not have placed a moratorium on drilling because "they've suffered enough" without losing their livelihoods.

Gov. Rick Perry spoke to the crowd and introduced Gov. Palin. Also speaking at the event Saturday night were U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert, and state Rep. Leo Berman, both from Tyler.

More local coverage of Sarah Palin in Tyler is here, here and here.

- JP