Bush: 'Hey Everyone, Turns Out We're Dependent On Oil!!'

I've become so immune to all the news lately, that, while I am quick to respond to all the insanity, it still takes a lot to actually make me angry. This story did the trick for some reason-

President Bush, apparently suffering from amnesia, made the following remarks yesterday: "The problem is we get oil from some parts of the world and they simply don't like us. And so the more dependent we are on that type of energy, the less likely it will be that we are able to compete, and so people have good, high-paying jobs... Dependence on foreign oil jeopardizes our capacity to grow."

Every few months, the President makes some (accurate, but empty) comments about our dependency on foreign oil, and every time he does so he acts like it is not only the first time he is making that observation, but also like the first time anyone has made that observation. American Presidents have been issuing warnings on this issue as far back as Nixon or Carter. President Bush himself has done the same for years (see examples- here), while not doing anything to help the situation and, so it appears, actively making it worse.

President Bush even hyped up his stance on foreign oil dependency as a major theme of this year's State of the Union address. But the reality quietly came out days later (not that anyone bothered to notice) when "his energy secretary and national economic adviser said Wednesday that the president didn't mean it literally". And specifically in regards to Bush's pledge to "move beyond a petroleum-based economy and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past", Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said "This was purely an example". Oop, our fault for taking his words literally!

And a solution he used in April? Easing environmental regulations on the oil companies so they can be more productive. Leadership! Sure, some have called for alternative strategies (increasing the gas tax, creating more economic incentives to dump SUVs and bought fuel-efficient/hybrid cars, working to find non-oil fuel alternatives, harnessing the power of solar panels and windmills and hydroelectricity, etc), but the President is quite happy just paying lip service to the problem while winking back at the increasingly rich oil companies who have helped shape our national energy policy.

As blogger Shakespeare's Sister said best, "One of the things I most detest about Bush is his tendency to speak about domestic issues as if he isn’t the fucking president. The unmitigated temerity of constantly talking about problems facing Americans as if he’s helpless to do anything about it—as if his hands are tied because we gosh-dern citizens don’t spontaneously just up and stop using oil, or stop being poor, or stop being unemployed—makes me want to put my fist through a wall."

If the President needs a start, maybe he can check out California; I hear they figured it out.