McCain, Obama, Clinton Reps Talk Energy

"No one is suggesting we sit on our butts for 41 years," replied Douglas Holtz-Eakin, policy director for the John McCain 2008 campaign.

Jason Grumet, principal energy advisor for the Obama Presidential Campaign, said he thinks putting a price on carbon -- even if it comes with higher fuel prices at the pump -- is necessary to face the global-warming crisis.

When asked if a cap and trade amounted to a tax increase, Grumet snapped: "Is requiring an air bag in cars a tax increase? You can have the ‘Lord of the Flies,’ or you can have a government."

Meanwhile, Gene Sperling, chief economic advisor for Hillary Clinton for President, said he doesn’t think the "Jimmy Carter approach" of putting sweaters on and saying "’You’re going to have to pay higher prices’" is the best for the candidates, but instead advocated creating a vision of a future full of additional choices.

Sperling said Clinton isn’t ready to embrace additional nuclear power but also isn’t advocating shutting down the nuclear plants already in operation.

"She has said this is not the first option," he said, adding that more research would be needed before any nuclear expansion. 

Grumet said Obama also sees problems with "current" nuclear technology.

"He doesn’t believe current [nuclear] technology should have a rebirth," he said, but added that there also are challenges in bringing other energy sources to massive scales and that "renewable energy alone won’t do it."

McCain, on the other hand, is an unapologetic nuclear-power supporter.

"Why would you want to take off the table technologies that you know will work?" Holtz-Eakin said. "The nuclear problem is a political problem."