One of my congressional heroes, Rep. Bob Wexler of Florida, talked on The Bill Press Show this morning about Sen. John McCain’s ridiculous proposal to open America’s coastline to offshore drilling (Note: In keeping with the flippity-floppity nature of his campaign, McCain today said that whether coasts were opened for drilling would be left for the individual states to decide, an obvious attempt to mitigate any damage to his prospects in California. But why did he bother? He hasn’t a snowball’s chance there, anyway.).

Wexler, whose book Fire-Breathing Liberal is an engaging account of a true progressive’s career in the U.S. House of Representatives, said that, instead, he favored a Manhattan II approach, where, as the U.S. did with its efforts to produce an atomic bomb, our finest scientific minds are given all the resources at the government’s disposal to harness alternative energy sources with an eye to a permanent end of our reliance on foreign and, for that matter, domestic oil.

What Sen. Barack Obama outlined in his energy address today sounds similar to Wexler’s proposal, except Obama compared his all-out energy research effort to the race to the moon that resulted from John F. Kennedy’s challenge. But, regardless of the comparison used or what the project might be dubbed, such an effort is needed to free us from the bonds of oil and the profiteers who peddle it, be they abroad or here in the U.S.

Certainly, considerable funds would need to be available for a matter of such import. Too, $300 million --- the amount John McCain proposes giving the inventor of the superdooper battery --- would likely prove a drop in the bucket. When you think about the materials, facilities and manhours that might be involved in such a far-reaching effort --- some of which would likely bear little or no benefit --- the final price tag could prove mind-boggling. But, unlike foolish, unprovoked wars abroad, some tasks are priceless. A successful Manhattan II would save lives, not cost them. It would reduce pollution, help preserve our coastlines and save millions in healthcare related to respiratory problems.

Simply put, it’s a no-brainer. We should start tomorrow.

As an aside, I would like to make a non-Swiftian modest proposal: Bob Wexler for vice president. As a practicing Jew from Florida and a bona fide progressive whose ideals match those of Sen. Obama (and because he is one of my personal favorites), the potential has a certain appeal. He’s probably a bit untested, having been in Congress only since 1996. Still, he is, as the title of his book suggests, a fire-breathing liberal.

And, for sure, we need more like him.