Obama using BP oil crisis to fundraise?

NEW YORK – Is President Obama using the BP oil crisis to add names to his fundraising and campaign databases?

On Monday, a blast e-mail signed by Obama and released by the president's "Organizing for America" campaign website called on Americans to add their names and e-mail addresses to Obama's site purportedly as supporters of "clean energy."

Obama's 2008 campaign website, a historic fundraising enterprise, was morphed into the "Organizing for America" site. The new site, available at BarackObama.com, is a project of the Democratic National Committee and is clearly aimed at political campaigning on behalf of Obama.

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Obama's e-mail first cites the BP oil crisis:

The BP oil spill in the Gulf Coast is the worst environmental disaster of its kind in our nation's history. I am returning to the region today to review our efforts and meet with families and business owners affected by the catastrophe.

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We are working to hold BP accountable for the damage to the lands and the livelihoods of the Gulf Coast, and we are taking strong precautions to make certain a spill like this never happens again.

But our work will not end with this crisis.

Please stand with me today in backing clean energy. Adding your name will help Organizing for America create a powerful, public display of support for making this change happen.

Users are then directed to a page where they are simply asked to add their names and e-mail addresses for the site's database.

The site states, "Your first name, city and state will appear publicly in support for clean energy."

However, users are not asked to sign any petition on behalf of "clean energy" or told exactly where their names will appear.

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Radio host Laura Ingraham, who blogged about the issue yesterday, commented, "Did President Bush ever raise money off of 9/11? Hurricane Katrina? or use it to push an unrelated legislative agenda?"

"Organizing for America sent out a fundraising e-mail today that makes it clear the Obama White House plans on exploiting the Gulf spill disaster for as much legislative momentum as possible," she stated.

With research by Brenda J. Elliott

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