Ethanol follies

I knew ethanol was not a very efficient fuel source (1.3X return of energy), but did you know this:

Detroit loves ethanol because it can use it to inflate fuel-efficiency ratings on their cars artificially. The mammoth Chevy Suburban, produced as a flex-fuel vehicle capable of burning both ethanol and gasoline, magically boosted its fuel efficiency to 29 miles per gallon from 15, since under federal rules only a vehicle’s gasoline consumption need be factored into the equation. Ethanol, in other words, has allowed American car manufacturers to produce more gas guzzlers and contribute to increased imports of foreign oil.

Did you get that? Only gas consumption is counted in the MPG ratings! If true, this is completely outrageous. Would a car running totally on ethanol have in infinite MPG rating?

Info came from this review

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/07/books/07book.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

which is not totally positive, but makes it sound like the book might be worth getting from the library.

McCain: as well-informed as Bush?

On the campaign trail, Senator McCain has repeatedly said that Iran was training Al Qaeda members. There's just one little problem with that notion. Al Qaeda is a Sunni group. Iran is a Shiite country. To say that the two sects don't get along is an understatement.

This is so wrong that even Senator Leiberman felt the need to whisper a correction to McCain on the spot. Not knowing some basic facts highly relevant to our current conflict should be an automatic disqualification for McCain.

The details:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/greenwald/2008/03/19/mccain/index.html

So does "Mr Experience" not understand what is happening in Iraq or is he carrying on the fine Bush tradition of inventing facts to suit his story?