Barack Obama panned his presidential rival's energy proposals as a grab bag of political stunts, as he and John McCain held dueling campaign stops Tuesday to highlight how they would solve the nation's energy woes.

The presumptive Democratic nominee attempted to put down each of McCain's recent energy proposals, calling instead for better fuel standards, large-scale investment in energy research and tax cuts as the way to create lasting solutions to energy shortfalls and ease the impact on consumers.

McCain's campaign, in response, called Obama "Dr. No" on energy issues.

"I cannot identify a single proposal that he has supported, and so many of them make sense," McCain said at a press conference in Riverside, Calif. "I don't think the American people are looking for that kind of leadership. I'm sure there must be something that he agrees with -- I haven't discovered it yet."

The back-and-forth underscored how rising gas prices are steering the political debate just as much as the overall economic slump or the war in Iraq.

Obama spoke after McCain first held a discussion in California with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger where he called on the federal government to be more energy efficient and pledged as president to switch official vehicles to green technologies and do the same for office buildings.

"In this campaign, John McCain is offering the same old gimmicks that will provide almost no short-term relief to folks who are struggling with high gas prices; gimmicks that will only increase our oil addiction for another four years," Obama said, after touring an energy efficient complex in Las Vegas.

McCain on Monday proposed offering a $300 million prize to anyone who develops a battery that can "leapfrog" the abilities of current hybrid and electric cars. He also said he would offer a $5,000 tax credit to buyers of cars that produce zero carbon emissions.

Obama commended McCain for the effort to develop a more efficient car battery, but said the prize is not enough.

"When John F. Kennedy decided that we were going to put a man on the moon, he didn't put a bounty out for some rocket scientist to win -- he put the full resources of the United States government behind the project and called on the ingenuity and innovation of the American people," Obama said.

He also continued to criticize McCain for pushing a summer gas tax holiday, which he said would save American drivers about 30 cents a day, and for wanting to lift the federal moratorium on offshore drilling.

Obama stressed his desire to send out a second round of rebate checks to taxpayers, and provide a $1,000 tax cut to families, funded in part by increased taxes on oil companies. He repeated that he wants to invest $150 billion over 10 years in alternatives source of energy, and attempted to portray McCain as an enemy of wind power, solar power and biofuels.

Obama said McCain's claim that offshore drilling will have a beneficial "psychological impact" translates to: It polls well.

"I realize that gimmicks like the gas tax holiday and offshore drilling might poll well these days. But I'm not running for president to do what polls well, I'm running to do what's right for America," Obama said.

McCain kept to his own energy policies during his early California campaign stop, but later slammed Obama for indiscriminately putting down all ideas when it comes to energy, at his press conference and in a statement.

"John McCain has proposed an energy plan that calls for gas tax relief in the short term, increased exploration and energy development in the near term, and innovation and alternatives for long term energy independence," spokesman Tucker Bounds said. "While John McCain is putting the country first with the best ideas from both parties, Barack Obama has become the ‘Dr. No' of energy, refusing to accept any idea that will contribute to solving America's energy crisis."

The tough talk from both candidates on energy comes as some polls show McCain slipping behind Obama nationally. Though most recent surveys have shown Obama leading by single digits, a new Los Angeles Times-Bloomberg poll showed him leading by 12 points, 49-to-37 percent. A Newsweek poll last week showed Obama leading by 15 points.

Both candidates are making a big push for new energy policies.

At his leadoff event in Santa Barbara, Calif., Tuesday, McCain pushed for the federal government to be more energy efficient.

McCain calculated the U.S. has about 3.3 billion square feet of federal office space. Lighting and air conditioning that space makes the federal government the nation's single largest consumer of electricity, he said.

"Our federal government is never shy about instructing the American people in good environmental practice. But energy efficiency, like charity, should begin at home," McCain said before conducting an energy round-table at the Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History.

The Arizona senator also called for a redesign of the national power grid so power is better distributed where it's needed and the country has the capacity to run electric vehicles that he wants automakers to supply.

McCain noted the federal government buys 60,000 nonmilitary and non-law enforcement vehicles a year.

"From now on, we're going to make those civilian vehicles flex-fuel capable, plug-in hybrid or cars fueled by clean natural gas. If our great goal is to move American transportation toward lower carbon emissions, then it should start with the federal fleet," he said.

Among those on the panel was Schwarzenegger, a McCain backer who opposes the proposal to end the federal ban on offshore drilling. McCain has said he would leave the decision to the states if the moratorium is lifted.

"John and I both know we can protect our environment and our economy at the same time," Schwarzenegger said in his opening remarks. "I have every confidence that once Senator McCain is in the White House, America will get back in the game when it comes to a sensible, consistent and forward-looking energy policy."

Offshore drilling is particularly sensitive in this coastal community 100 miles north of Los Angeles. Oil derricks are visible on the horizon, as are sailboats and the Channel Islands. Some local residents remember a 1969 oil spill that occurred after an oil platform blew out six miles offshore.

It dumped an estimated 3 million gallons of crude oil into the ocean, some of which reached area beaches.

Despite emphasizing the optional nature of his proposal, McCain has heard complaints about it throughout his two days of campaigning in California, a Democratic-leaning state that the GOP hopes to put in play in the general election.

"No drill, no spill, no kill," said a sign held aloft by several dozen protesters outside McCain's speech.

FOX News' Aaron Bruns and Mosheh Oinounou and The Associated Press contributed to this report.