The Enquirer - Schmidt's SUV uses ethanol

Schmidt's SUV uses ethanol
Says she won't be buying much Persian Gulf oil
BY MALIA RULON ENQUIRER WASHINGTON BUREAU

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Miami Township, said Wednesday that she has struck her own blow in the war on terrorism: She bought an ethanol-powered vehicle.

"I will be one of the first in line to buy ethanol this month," said Schmidt, the proud owner of a red 2007 Chevy Tahoe that runs on either the E85 blend of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline or - if it must - gasoline. Her license plate reads: "E85 4 OH."

But Schmidt said she didn't buy the SUV because ethanol is less expensive or better for the environment. For her, the new car is about stopping terrorism by reducing the amount of money being sent to the Persian Gulf.

"I'd rather give my money to a farmer in Ohio than a Saudi sheik or an Iranian terrorist," she said in an interview.

"Corn growers, as it turns out, are not so prone to extremism," she wrote in her weekly column.

The vehicle, which GM sells for $34,000-$47,000, replaces Schmidt's 5-year-old Chevy Blazer, which she said racked up a lot of miles crisscrossing the 2nd District.

Schmidt's Democratic opponent, Victoria Wulsin, who coincidentally held a campaign rally at a gas station in Madeira on Wednesday, said Schmidt's purchase "smacks of insincerity."

"It's insulting, because not only does it not help us, but she's driving a model that none of her constituents can afford," said Wulsin, a doctor from Indian Hill.

Schmidt's response: "I think you should practice what you preach."

Wulsin said that if she's elected, she'll ride her bicycle.

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