Spiraling gas prices have got President Obama flipping like a griddle cake over the Keystone XL pipeline.
And that’s prompted Brooklyn Republican Rep. Bob Turner to wonder how long before New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand — whom he hopes to unseat — doubles back as well.
It’s a good question.
Turner is offering whoever guesses right a free tank of gas.
No joke. You might want to give it a try.
Here’s the back story: Yesterday, Obama gave an official green light to develop the southern stretch of the controversial pipeline. But back in January, he’d put the kibosh on the Canada-to-the-Gulf project.
That was meant as an election-year kiss to the radical environmentalists who make up a big part of his Democratic base.
Then gas prices began to soar.
As did public anger.
Indeed, a Gallup poll released yesterday showed that Americans, by 57 percent to 29 percent, want the pipeline built.
Alas, Obama’s partial reversal this week is little more than an obvious political stunt. After all, what good is a go-ahead for only half the project — and, indeed, the half that’s farthest from where the oil actually comes from?
Meanwhile, New York has its own political somersault champ.
A US senator for less than two years, Gillibrand has now discarded her entire record as a moderate while serving in the House, abandoning countless of her earlier, more centrist views.
The shift has turned her into the darling of the far left and proved her to be a reliable party player.
Thus, two weeks ago, she supported Obama in a Senate vote against the pipeline project. And now that the president has, uh, “modified” his position, Turner wants to know how long before she backtracks on that, too.
To that end, his campaign has launched a “Gillibrand Flip-Flop Sweepstakes.”
It’s offering a free tank of gas (no matter how high its price may be) to the person who comes closest to predicting when Gillibrand follows Obama’s lead and (partly) reverses course on the pipeline.
Gee, sounds like fun!
(Except for the continuing high price at the pump, that is.)
Of course, one person knows the answer for sure: Chuck Schumer.
After all, Gillibrand rarely takes a position on a controversial topic without first checking in with New York’s Democratic senior senator.
So here’s a clue for sweepstakes contestants: Keep your eye on Chuck. When he flips, it won’t be long before she does, too.
And just maybe, as the election nears and prices keep skyrocketing, all three will do a 180 — a full 180, that is — and OK the entire pipeline project.
Elections sure can be useful.