In the Rose Garden today President Bush made some pronouncements at a press conference. Seven and a half years late, the President said we need to drill for oil here to reduce gasoline and diesel prices and reduce foreign dependence. He said the high fuel prices are due to international supply and demand. Further, he said Obama’s windfall profits tax would just get passed on to the consumer. He went after the farm subsidies. He is upset with congress for the failure to pass the student loan program and sign the free trade agreement with Columbia. Since, according to him, the president is simply unable to do anything, why do we have one, and what’s the big deal with the campaign?
If you watched, you may have felt the same as me. He bumbled and stumbled and got barrels and gallons and millions and billions all mixed up. His inability to talk makes it hard for him to make any point about anything. He wants the farm program to stop since he says farmers are big corporations and don’t need it. He wants the ethanol program to continue since he says we need it for energy.
Clueless as he is, he is still more honest than the three candidates who want you to believe they can do something about high gas prices. Obama will for sure, he will make them go higher. An avowed unapologetic supporter of all things global warming, he will carbon cap energy to the nines. Why not stand up to those truckers in Washington DC and say : “you don’t like your diesel prices now, wait until I’m president. I’m for the working man, but I want to make sure we take care of the world first. There won’t be any blue collar jobs when I’m done. You will have to work for my government since it will be the only employer hiring.” Hillary is on the same path, just slightly more moderate. John, on the other hand, is into making you feel like help is on the way. Eighteen cents a gallon Federal tax forgiveness over the summer is such a grand gesture.
Only the lame duck will say we are in trouble and the solutions are ours to make. He says go into Alaska and drill today. He says we need to get back to nuclear power. He says he will continue to fill the SPR. He is still pushing refineries on military bases. He says short term there is no help on the way. He believes renewable will help down the road.
But, the lame duck is only apologizing for what congress isn’t doing. He isn’t saying, “I am going to insist that congress address a reasonable energy plan that will compel us to do things in the short run to bridge us until longer term options can kick in.” If it were an energy war he could probably start it, but it’s a domestic policy and that’s not what he does.
Domestic demand was down 7%, 5% more than pundits projected. It’s a start. Domestic anger is up at least that much or more. Maybe we are actually getting smart enough to reject the Obama/Clinton/McCain responses. The tired old Big Oil, windfall profit crap, the carbon cap and make it worse approach, and the summer tax amnesty band aid. Maybe add yet another congressional hearing on collusion. That always works. We have real problems and we deserve real solutions. President Bush gave it a kick start. Unfortunately, Reverend Wright is front page news. So, we have our priorities in order, Hannah Montana and Reverend Wright trump $4.00 gasoline.
