Obama said he wanted to pass a bill that “deals with” climate change and noted the importance of capping carbon, but he was careful not to specifically commit to passing a cap-and-trade bill, as he is fully aware of the significant opposition to the proposal in the Senate.

He said that one of his top priorities next year is to “have an energy policy that begins to address all facets of our overreliance on fossil fuels.” He continued, “We may end up having to do it in chunks, as opposed to some sort of comprehensive omnibus legislation. But we’re going to stay on this because it is good for our economy, it’s good for our national security, and, ultimately, it’s good for our environment.”

Obama then goes on to tout efforts by the Environmental Protection Agency to tighten fuel economy standards, arguing that his administration can take action without Congress. Obama said, though, that it’s not enough, while adding that all of the administration’s current efforts will result in a 17 percent reduction in the country’s greenhouse gas emissions.

“But we’re going to have to do a lot more than that,” Obama said, noting that Energy Secretary Steven Chu says the best way to solve the climate change problem “internationally” is to focus on energy efficiency, clean energy technology and a cap on carbon. “Am I satisfied with what we’ve gotten done? Absolutely not,” Obama said.

Asked by Rolling Stone if he would “throw the whole weight of the presidency” behind passing energy legislation, Obama said, “Yes. Not only can I foresee it, but I am committed to making sure that we get an energy policy that makes sense for the country and that helps us grow at the same time as it deals with climate change in a serious way.”

Obama also added that he hopes “John McCain shows up” to tonight’s debate. Asked whether he will push back against the debate’s foreign policy focus, Obama said he would absolutely raise the financial crisis.

“With this looming in the horizon — this has an effect all across the globe. And one of the arguments that I’ve consistently made in this campaign is we can’t be strong abroad if we’re not strong at home. If we are spending 10 billion dollars a month in Iraq when they have a 79 billion dollar surplus,” he continued, “that just does not make for a safe and secure America.” Obama stressed that Iraq and its economic impact was a “fundamental” disagreement that he has with McCain, which merits a “debate format.” “We’re only talking about 90 minutes here,” he added, “I think that a president has to be able to do more than one thing at a time.”

If McCain bails on tonight’s debate, that is probably the line the Obama camp could use to hammer the absence. While McCain claims his presence is essential in Washington on Friday night, Obama could argue it’s another shortcoming that shows McCain is not well-equipped to handle the complex challenges of the modern presidency.