Hoffa's Comments on Kerry Leave Some Perplexed By Robert B. Bluey, CNSNews
Teamsters union chief Jimmy Hoffa has confused both environmentalists and free-market advocates after saying that Democratic front-runner John Kerry, if elected president, would 'drill like never before' across the United States.
Hoffa made the comments during a Feb. 17 segment on Hardball with Chris Matthews. Matthews had asked Hoffa why the union chose to endorse the Massachusetts senator even though Kerry opposed drilling for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
'Well, we talked about that,' Hoffa responded. 'He says, look, I am against ANWR, but I am going to put that pipeline in and we're going to drill like never before.'
The union supports drilling in ANWR and the creation of a natural gas pipeline that could stretch from Alaska to Chicago. Neither plan draws much support from Kerry's environmentalist base, however.