Brent Batten: Bush humiliation a national wake-up call

naplesnews.com ^ | Monday, May 19, 2008 | BRENT BATTEN

[Fred]

The president of the United States, supposedly the most powerful man on Earth, goes, hat in hand, to our “friends” in Saudi Arabia asking them to increase oil production in order to bring a measure of relief to rising energy prices.

Our “friends” tell him no.

The president is in no position to bargain, or even threaten. What’s he going to do? Cut off financial aid? The Saudis have more money than Allah.

End any military or intelligence support that keeps Islamic radicals from making the House of Saud their next target? As hard as it might be to deal with the princes, it would be even harder to deal with whatever regime might rise in their place.

If this exercise in humiliation isn’t enough to drive America toward energy independence, what is?

We need the oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

We need the oil in Bakken Formation of Montana and North Dakota. In April, the U.S. Geological Survey released new findings indicating that formation holds 25 times as much oil — as much as 4 billion barrels — as previously thought. It is the largest continuous oil accumulation the USGS has ever assessed.

Closer to home, we need the oil in the eastern Gulf of Mexico. In 2006 Congress passed legislation allowing oil exploration about 100 miles off the Florida coast but banning it closer in. That’s a start. If the efforts outside the 100-mile barrier prove successful, Congress should consider moving it even closer to shore.

The Florida delegation in the U.S. House and Senate need to rethink their persistent objections to efforts to produce energy off the state’s coasts. An oil rig 50 miles out wouldn’t spoil a tourist’s view of sunset.

We can wring our hands about global warming or cluck our tongues about the need for alternative sources of energy.

Yes, there are myriad benefits to burning less in the way of fossil fuel and technology certainly will lead us to a better way one day.

But in the near- and mid-term, ours is an economy based on oil, coal and natural gas.

We use more than we currently can produce domestically and that isn’t going to change anytime soon.

So we can increase production or we can continue to rely on our “friends,” like Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Venezuela, to sell it to us on their terms.

In rebuffing President Bush, the Saudi oil minister said the market is in balance. Indeed it is in perfect balance for the seller, with prices setting new record highs seemingly every week.

For the buyers, the balance is decidedly imperfect.

When one of your best customers keeps you supplied in state-of-the-art weaponry and supports your regime in spite of its less-than-stellar record on human rights you might consider cutting that customer a break.

Failing to do so might cause you concern that said customer might tell you to keep your product and to get your weapons and support elsewhere, especially if that customer has billions of barrels of the same goop under his feet and off his coast.

But the Saudis apparently have no such concern.

It is high time they acquired it.

[DManA]

Obama gets criticized (rightly) for proposing to negotiate without preconditions but then Bush does exactly the same thing with the Saudis. I'm not so critical of him as I'm just perplexed. What in the world did he think he was going to accomplish? How could he have gone there without having an agreement worked out before hand? It's just bizarre.

[JasonC]

Except they didn't say no. They raised output 300,000 barrels per day. The speculators and leftists who want Iran to win and the west to be smashed just pretended otherwise and lied about it, and tacked on $2 more. Which will end in a glorious smash as big as the dot-com bubble.

[JasonC]

Actually, it is a typical leftist media lie. Bought hook line and sinker. Saudis said "fine" and helped, but the left wanted a different narrative, so they went to pure fiction.

[Inyo-Mono]

BTTT!

[Revolting cat!]

The Saudis? Friends of the Bush family going way, way back. Nothing to see here.

[DariusBane]

amen brother, but plenty of voters in this country, Joe and Jane bag o donuts would rather see this country destroyed if that is what it takes to punish Bush, Cheney and Haliburton, that most evil triumvirate. This country is full of entertainment addled spoiled brat fools who don’t appreciate what they have and are willing to throw away our collective prosperity to assuage their mis guided sense of justice.

Lord help us from ourselves

[HereInTheHeartland]

“Which will end in a glorious smash as big as the dot-com bubble. “

It will be fun to watch.
Those who think oil will never go down will be run over.

[Fred]

When it comes to energy our government treats us like fools. If new exploration combined with drilling new wells not been stopped 20 years ago in the US, we would not have all these problems with energy prices.

[goodnesswins]

Wonder why the author left out CANADA, the country from whom we get the MOST oil???

[R W Reactionairy]

If they don't have it, they won't be able to produce it.

Saudi Arabia is a bit of a mystery, but they haven't found any large fields for a long time. Small fields “yes” but when / if Ghawar goes into decline, it will be tough for them to maintain production. When will that occur? Some believe now.

The two new large fields that Saudi Arabia is bringing on line in the next year or so, are both ancient history in terms of the date of discovery, and both have significant problems. If they have better prospects, I believe that we would be seeing them now.

[anonsquared]

Exactly why pre-9/11 we should have secretly funded Osama in his bid to overthrow the house of Saud. Oil would have maybe spiked to around $70. Then about a week or two into the coup, we could have rode in to the rescue of our ‘friends’ the Saudis and taken over all the oil fields to protect them.

In the game of global chess, it always pays to look many moves ahead. And to know which rooks should be sacrificed.

[jaz.357]

The president of the United States, supposedly the most powerful man on Earth, goes, hat in hand, to our “friends” in Saudi Arabia...

How about a "BOOT IN THE A$$"!

[DariusBane]

Wow, thats a wee bit controversial. Have to think about that!

[DariusBane]

... OK thought about it, I guess it fits the Iraqi proverb “use your enemies hand to catch a snake”. I think that’s iraqi, or Persian... Anyway thats pretty hard core, Byzantine emperor kind of intrigue. Lots could go wrong plenty of balance of power stuff just makes my head hurt. OK I just think I will drink a beer and go to bed.

[Marine_Uncle]

I would like to submit the following web site for reading by all, and thank you thack, if you are in the position to critique the article to some degree as to it's accuracy.
Here it is at: Oil Drum

[JasonC]

Of course not. If we had no fifth column left deliberately trying to destroy the country, we'd rule the world. Which is why we have a fifth column left deliberately trying to destroy the country. The world would rather destroy us, and they work for the rest of it.

[JasonC]

I nominate you. Go sacrifice yourself.

[SoldierDad]

I like the way you think. “We have met the enemy, and they are us”.

[R W Reactionairy]

Pop a batch of popcorn if you like, but if peak oil is coming soon it won’t be fun to watch.

Oil can go down. If it does, 2 billion Indians and Chinese will be very happy to sop up the excess.

Every oil field that has produced more than a million barrels per day is now in decline with the possible exception of Ghawar, the granddaddy of all oil fields at 5 million barrels per day. When that one goes down, because it has been very well managed with water floods and multilateral wells, it could go down in a hurry.

Cantarell peaked. Danquing peaked. The North Sea peaked. Texas peaked. The North Slope peaked. The U.S. peaked. Western Siberia and probably all of Russia has peaked [depends on how many frontier basins they actually have.] The Kuwaitis say Burgan has peaked. The story of oil is the story of depletion.

Party hardy dude.

[Grunthor]

Unfortunately our nation is run by people that would rather see the economy in a shambles than to EVER allow us to provide for our own energy needs.

I personally cannot think of a better way to keep us involved in war after war in the ME for decades to come.

[Grunthor]

“Which will end in a glorious smash as big as the dot-com bubble.”

Hmmm any chance of it raining speculators on Wall and Broad?

;o)

[R W Reactionairy]

Better to ask Smokin’ Joe. He is a well site geologist that has worked extensively in the Bakken.

[Desron13]

"This country is full of entertainment addled spoiled brat fools who don’t appreciate what they have and are willing to throw away our collective prosperity to assuage their mis guided sense of justice."

Unfortunately, it's worse than that. I remember when I was in grade school and the first year of junior high school that we studied "History". At that point, they changed the name to "Social Studies" and all sense of what came before us was viewed through a lens of political correctness to one degree or another. That was the tipping point. After that, it was all down hill.

[trumandogz]

Not Hat in Hand but Hand in Hand with the Saudis.

[o_zarkman44]

Saudi Arabia would gladly purchase russian or chinese weapons if we refused to sell any more. And if we pulled out of the gulf, they would gladly accept russian or chinese warships on patrol.

the only way they will ever change their minds is if we FORCE THEM TO DRINK THEIR STINKING OIL!

we have plenty of oil right here in the good ol US of A.
What are we waiting or saving it for?

[DariusBane]

Ok, here is my feable attempt at energy policy, lets discuss it and shoot it down or whatever...

1. Go nuclear for electric power generation
2. Coal liquification for cars (not sure if that is quite the right term but they can turn coal into gasoline and diesel.
3. End regional boutique fuels
4. explore and exploit every last drop of domestic oil.
5. build cars with small diesel engines, and relax the particulate standards so they can be built, they are way more efficient than gasoline cars and reduce the tax on diesel.
6. Use natural gas for mass trans only, convert cooking to nuclear electricity.
7. Long term explore new energy forms.

Lets comment

[Mike Darancette]

What’s he going to do?

Sell oil from the SPR at a discount.

[Marine_Uncle]

Thanks for the heads up. Can you ping our bro in arms?

[R W Reactionairy]

The three hundred thousand a day is long anticipated production scheduled to come from Khurais [spelling?] a field the KSA attempted to produce and then mothballed in the seventies after some very dubious results. I believe their stated intent is to produce as much as a million barrels per day from this field. I hope they have better luck and the right technology this time.

It along with an offshore field with very high vanadium levels are the two big Saudi mega project scheduled to some on line in the next year or so.

[Desron13]

"We have plenty of oil right here in the good ol US of A. What are we waiting or saving it for?"

In the immoral words of Jack Nicholson playing the Joker in the original Batman movie, "We've been rated out here boys."

[Postman]

DRILL HERE!
DRILL NOW!

[Grunthor]

nuthin’ wrong with any of yer points but i’m sure the lobbyists would tear it apart

[Desron13]

In the immoral words of Jack Nicholson playing the Joker in the original Batman movie, "We've been rated out here boys."

Immoral should actually read "immortal", but I guess both apply.

[Marine_Uncle]

Your list is just fine. But we do have to remember, there are well established large population centers that do require natural gas to provide them with cooking and heating. My mom's home in Philly is one of them. Though I am for vast increase in nuclear power generation plants in the USA, I also realize the enormous cost that would have to go into hundreds of millions of homes to have to convert to electrical. Think a minute about the large numbers of people on very low income, old folk etc., that depend on gas to heat their homes and cook. Many simply do not have the monies to convert over to all electrical homes.
But surely all electrical should be the standard offering of all new home development, along with an array of other power sources where geographically feasible.

[hocndoc]

Unbelievable: news article after news article notes Saudi Arabia’s increased production agreement. How can this man write blatant lies?

From Forbes:
http://www.forbes.com/afxnewslimited/feeds/afx/2008/05/19/afx5025284.html

” On the fundamental side, Saudi Arabia has boosted oil output by 300,000 barrels per day to meet demand and compensate for other producers’ lower output, Saudi oil minister Ali al-Naimi said on Friday.

“However, this has been overlooked in part because demand from China for diesel is expected to rise after last week’s earthquake.”

[DariusBane]

Right,

I remember that my social studies class in High school had two pages devoted to WWII. I was pretty horrified to see, and half of that was devoted to anecdotal African American contributions to the war effort. Now I have no problem telling the story of how pathetically we treated African Americans (and for that matter the Irish, the Catholics, and anybody else who did not have the “correct” pedigree) in this country, but not in two miserly pages devoted to WWII. High school textbooks are really pathetic, contextually vapid, and oriented to cater to all kinds of special interests. You simply can’t rely on the school to educate yourself or your kids. Rely on source materials, auto biographies, biographies etc. But that takes work and Joe bag O donuts don’t work.

[anonsquared]

You must not be a tax paying citizen. Otherwise you would have already noticed that we have been sacrificed.

[DariusBane]

So you think it’s feasible then to phase in all electric? I wonder what 100 years of that would look like. 60% all electric? More? That would be an interesting study.

[indcons]

LOL

[Marine_Uncle]

You make some very valid points regarding the Saudi’s future prospects to export oil.

[SuziQ]

Amazing how everyone assumed the the President went begging to the Saudis, when they'd already increased their output, even before the President arrived.

The President brilliantly used the trip to beat up on the Democrats for making the problems worse by NOT agreeing to domestic drilling and further exploration.

[SuziQ]

You claim oil is in decline, but I’ve read about at least three large ‘finds’ in recent years. One is the Bakken area, straddling Canada and the US, which was already known, but not the volume available from it, a huge area off the coasts of Alaska and Canada, and conveniently OUTSIDE the area claimed by Russia, and another area off the coast of Brazil.

[SuziQ]

What is this with people fixated on the President holding hands with the Saudi leader? I’ve seen him do that with several older folks. Looks like gentlemanly behavior to me; nothing ‘weak’ about it.

[Marine_Uncle]

Electric exclusive for home heating and cooking. Sure. If we are willing to put the gas companies out of business. We have to consider the many areas in this country that have fully over the years dating back a long time... invested in providing natural gas networks to population centers.
And where is the break even point established in converting large areas to all electricity. I don't know. And quite frankly I would be at a loss to even start delving into the analysis required.
We have to consider how expensive it is to produce a kilowatt of power with a given fossil fuel source verse using solar power, wind power, geothermal or say nuclear energy.
Depending where one would choose to go into this type modeling is dependent on where one lives. Tell you what. Imagine huge expenditures for wind power being constructed in say some area of Pennsylvania, where many very large population centers (cities) exist. Now imagine during most of the year when conditions are literally negative, little or no electrical power is produced to satisfy the power grid for these thousands of towns and cities.
Would one want to depend on wind power. OK. How about solar power. It has been around for a long time. Do you know what the current cost would be to install adequate solar power equipment to power one's home. What do you do in the winter when inadequate levels of light energy penetrate the land surface.
The only real alternative for the nation as a whole and of course where applicable with solar,wind, and geothermal farms, that can to some degree supply the needs of folks further out on the fringes of those grids, is nuclear power.
I am all for nuclear power. But how long assuming the congress would tell the environmentalist and their adherents to go take a perpetual hike on say Pluto, and get down to business of building large numbers of modern safe nuclear facilities, do you think it would take to bring down the costs of electrical energy?
We have been screwed by a bunch of morons in this government for some forty yeas plus. It is going to take a lot of good will and very very smart people in both congress (I hold my breath) and the related industries to bale us out of this mess.
But let us stay realistic. The needs for oil and coal derivatives in the thousands of forms, will still be required. The world needs oil, natural gas, and coal along with many of the proven vegetative product oils for literally tens of thousands of end products.
One cannot depend on nuclear or other forms of electrical energy to provide the vast amounts of petrochemicals, lubricants, etc., that all our industries require to produce their end products.
With that I am shot. One more day of vacation then I have to go on jury duty then back to my 3:30AM wake ups to be at work one day at 5AM, followed by perhaps the next day of having to be at work till 11PM.
So I may not be available much longer for the short enjoyment of participating to the many pings I get at this great site. Do have a great upcoming day.

[trumandogz]

Its not weak nor is it gentlemanly but rather an Arab Cultural Tradition as is kissing other men as a greeting. And yes, if you like you can find pictures of the President kissing the Crown Prince.

Thus, it is not the hold handing or the kiss but rather that due to our dependence on foreign oil Our President had to abide by the traditions of the Rat Bastards that supply our oil.

BTW-I have spent my fair share of time in the Kingdom and it is by far the most oppressive Third World S4ithold I have ever been, and I have been to more than 40 nations most of which are in the Third World.

[trumandogz]

The Saudis raised production earlier this month by 300,000 barrels per day which accounts for .0036% of the worlds daily consumption or around six minutes.

[R W Reactionairy]

Well, I believe I wrote “if” the peak is soon, but yes I suspect we are about there.

The problem is one of scale and flow rates.

The Bakken has a very large areal extent. Elm Coulee in MT, and the Parsol region and a few other areas in ND have produced some very nice wells. However, my point is that to achieve energy independence, we would need twice our 1971 U.S. production, which is about 4 times our current production. The Bakken will help. The Bakken is not a cure.

I believe the Arctic oil you are referring to is purely conjectural. It may be there in vast quantities but then again maybe not. And after that? Prudoe Bay peaked at well over a million barrels a day. Today? Four hundred thousand and sliding.

Brazil looks promising, but the oil that is being touted is in 7,000 feet of water and a further 16,000 feet below the sea bed including a long interval of salt that will require some interesting technology to handle. And to exploit it, Petrobas has tied up 85 percent of the rigs capable of this sort of deep water work.

The point is that none of the discoveries you have pointed to would have been of interest if better prospects in less hostile and less expense locals had been available.

The world will find more oil. Half of the readily recoverable stuff is still in the ground. The key is peak extraction rates and the challenge of offsetting the 4 to 8 percent decline curves of existing production.

Think of the scale. One thousand barrels a second. Thirty billion barrels a year. And rising. And the world has never found that much new oil in any year ... and has not replaced reserves in any year since 1985 when consumption was thirty percent lower. What else? Well pretty much all of the large high flow reservoirs in the U.S, North Sea, Russian [probably], Mexico, Kuwait, ... and probably Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia are in decline.

Watch Ghawar. One field — five million barrels a day — that was thoroughly explored before the western oil companies were booted out of AARAMCO ... and has produced well over half of its reserves since. When Ghawar goes into decline watch out. That one field produces as much as the entire U.S. and unless the western majors missed the boat, it is getting old and tired.

If you want to believe the latest press release from the oil minister of Saudi Arabia or Iraq, you are free to do so, but see no basis for betting my future on those people.

[trumandogz]

Oil is in decline. Each day the earth contains 82,000,000 less barrels of oil than it did the day before.

[SunkenCiv]

Saudis Increase Oil Production
The Washington Times | May 17, 2008 | Patrice Hill
Posted on 05/17/2008 7:12:14 AM PDT by kellynla
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017346/posts

Bush: Saudi Oil Boost ‘Doesn’t Solve Our Problem’
(Pelosi, where’s my lower gas prices?)
fox news | 5/17/2008 | AP
Posted on 05/17/2008 7:40:39 AM PDT by tobyhill
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017355/posts

Saudi oil output hike would not solve US problems: Bush (W tells it like it is)
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017360/posts

Gulf states may soon need coal imports to keep the lights on
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Posted on 05/19/2008 9:23:33 PM PDT by Fred
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2018493/posts

Iraq could have largest oil reserves in the world
Times Online | 5/20/08 | Sonia Verma
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2018325/posts

Mexico’s Oiling Days Are Numbered
IBD | May 16, 2008
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http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017179/posts

Bush Faults Democrats for Gas Prices
The Washington Times | May 18, 2008 | Sean Lengell
Posted on 05/18/2008 6:47:52 AM PDT by kellynla
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2017638/posts

Gas Prices Blame Game (”stop stalling...start drilling”)
The Washington Times | May 18, 2008 | Ed Feulner
Posted on 05/19/2008 9:55:47 AM PDT by kellynla
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2018145/posts

Your Energy Future Under the Democrats
American Thinker | May 19, 2008 | Larrey Anderson
Posted on 05/19/2008 5:47:10 PM PDT by kingattax
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2018405/posts