Not long ago Barack Obama accused Republicans of playing politics with gas prices:
“Only in politics do people root for bad news, do they greet bad news so enthusiastically,” Obama said before a crowd of students.
“You pay more and they’re licking their chops. And you can bet since it’s an election year, they’re already dusting off their three-point plans for $2 gas,” Obama said. “I’ll save you the suspense: step one is drill, step two is drill, and then step three is keep drilling.
“We heard the same line in 2007 when I was running for president,” Obama said. “We hear the same thing every year. We’ve heard the same thing for 30 years.”
And it continues that nothing, inclusive of gas prices, is his fault.
Things were different four years ago when Bush was President. Back then everything was Bush’s fault. Barack Obama said that high gas prices were caused by Bush’s failed energy policies. Nancy Pelosi blamed “two oil men.”
Take, for example, this 2008 article, entitled “’Two oil men’ to blame for high gas prices, Pelosi says.” You guessed it: the two “oil men” Pelosi blames are former president Bush and former vice president Cheney. The story focuses heavily on Nancy Pelosi’s attacks on Bush and his administration. CNN does not point out any “political realities” such as “there is almost nothing a politician can do about” gas prices.
Obama himself was quite harsh in 2008:
“Washington’s failure to lead on energy,” which was “turning the middle-class squeeze into a devastating vise-grip for millions of Americans. For the well-off in this country high gas prices are mostly an annoyance, but to most Americans they’re a huge problem, bordering on a crisis.”
Now high prices are “progress.”
“Our domestic oil production is at an eight-year high, and our use of foreign oil is at a 16-year low. So we’re making progress.”
Of course, the left wing media never informs you that that is because of Bush-issued permits.
Then Obama said:
You know there are no quick fixes to this problem.
Apparently someone didn’t get the memo.
Sen. Chuck Schumer (iDiot-N.Y.) wants Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to press Saudi Arabia, OPEC’s dominant oil producer, to boost output as rising prices are hitting consumers at the gasoline pump.
A letter to Clinton on Sunday from Schumer, a top political strategist for Senate Democrats, comes as Democrats are trying to blunt constant GOP attacks over soaring gasoline prices.
These skyrocketing fuel prices are directly linked to the global energy market, particularly Iran’s recent efforts to manipulate oil prices and the worry of impacts on supply from an escalation of regional hostilities,” Schumer writes.
“To address this situation, I urge the State Department to work with the government of Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production, as they are currently producing well under their capacity,” adds the letter, which was first obtained by Reuters.
Increase production? Drill more? Say what?
Ed Markey (iDiot- MA) chimes in:
Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) called on the Obama administration to release more oil from the nation’s 727 million-barrel reserve in order to bring down gas prices, the Melrose, Mass., Free Press reported Monday.
“The Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is to the oil industry what kryptonite is to Superman,” said Markey, the ranking member of the House Committee on Natural Resources. “The U.S. government has the power to deploy millions of barrels of oil to drive prices down.”
Markey, as does Schumer, tries to convince us that increasing supply will drive down prices! More drilling is the answer.
Hmmm.
Obama says nothing is off the table in considering the price of oil. Not true. Things that would actually work are off the table.
Listen to Pelosi here about 40 seconds in:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6X7z0zlPYy4[/youtube]
“years of Bush administration’s policies…have resulted in record dependence on foreign oil”
So what has been Obama’s response to that? To cripple domestic exploration.
…while in office, Obama’s done everything he can to limit production — slow-walking offshore permits, killing the Keystone XL pipeline, making it even harder to get oil out of federal lands.
In 1995 Bill Clinton vetoed a bill that would have allowed drilling in ANWR. His rationale for doing so has become the left wing zombie lockstep catch phrase: We wouldn’t see any oil for ten years.
The feckless Ed Markey in 2003:
“We won’t see a drop of oil from the refuge for 10 years. … 10 years from now [production] might reduce gas prices by about one cent.”
Maria Cantwell 2001:
“oil extracted from the wildlife refuge wouldn’t reach refineries for seven to ten years.”
Jeff Bingaman 2001:
“drilling in ANWR wouldn’t get us any oil for at least ten years.”
John Kerry 2001:
“If we opened ANWR today it wouldn’t produce any oil for at least ten years.”
And of course, Barack Obama
“Offshore drilling would not lower gas prices today, it would not lower gas prices next year and it would not lower gas prices five years from now.”
“Believe me, if I thought there was any evidence at all that drilling could save people money who are struggling to fill up their gas tanks by this summer or this year, or even the next few years, I would consider it, but it won’t.
“We Will Not See A Drop Of Oil From Any Offshore Rigs For At Least Ten Years. We Would Not Have Full Production For Twenty Years.”
In 2008 Schumer even knew what the precise effect of more drilling would be on gas prices:
“I rise to discuss rising energy prices.” The president was heading to Saudi Arabia to seek an increase in its oil production, and Schumer’s gorge was rising.
Saudi Arabia, he said, “holds the key to reducing gasoline prices at home in the short term.” Therefore arms sales to that kingdom should be blocked unless it “increases its oil production by one million barrels per day,” which would cause the price of gasoline to fall “50 cents a gallon almost immediately.”
It’s seventeen years since Clinton insisted that dependence on foreign oil continue to increase. And just about every democrat since then has been on the train to Dependenceville. Yet when when gas prices rise and democrats feel the anger from their constituents democrats go schizo and drilling for more oil and increasing oil supply to lower prices suddenly becomes reasonable.
And as for playing politics?
DrJohn has been a health care professional for more than 30 years. In addition to clinical practice he has done extensive research and has published widely with over 70 original articles and abstracts in the peer-reviewed literature. DrJohn is well known in his field and has lectured on every continent except for Antarctica. He has been married to the same wonderful lady for over 30 years and has three kids- two sons, both of whom are attorneys and one daughter on her way into the field of education.
DrJohn was brought up with the concept that one can do well if one is prepared to work hard but nothing in life is guaranteed.
Except for liberals being foolish.