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Bush Says Little Can Be Done About High Gas Prices
Sierra Times ^ | 4/22/2006 | AP Staff

Posted on 04/24/2006 4:59:57 AM PDT by FerdieMurphy

SAN JOSE -- As oil prices hit a record, drivers worried about $3-a-gallon gas and politicians feared the impact on elections, President Bush on Friday acknowledged the pain but seemed resigned to being able to do little about it.

"I know the folks here are suffering at the gas pump," the president said while promoting his competitiveness initiative at the Silicon Valley headquarters of Internet networking company Cisco Systems Inc. "Rising gasoline prices is like taking a _ is like a tax, particularly on the working people and the small-business people."

But to address the immediate problem, Bush offered only a pledge that "if we find any price gouging it will be dealt with firmly."

Bush said that lowering America's dependance on foreign oil imports will help reduce the country's vulnerability to global oil price fluctuations. On Saturday, the president was pushing his proposals to boost spending to develop alternative energy sources, particularly hydrogen-fueled cars.

Critics say Bush's ideas are too modest and focus on solutions that are far from being a reality in the marketplace.

Crude-oil prices broke through $75 a barrel Friday amid concerns about the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions, rebel disruptions of oil production in Nigeria, and tight U.S. gasoline supplies. Analysts say they are likely to climb even higher.

Prices at the gas pump also kept rising and were not considered at their peak, with the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline at $2.855. That's 3 cents higher than a day earlier and more than 60 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.

Democratic efforts to score political points by focusing on gas prices have Republicans worried that their majority in Congress could be at risk in the fall midterm elections.

High gas prices were hardly the only problem facing Bush's White House as he embarked on a four-day swing to California and Las Vegas. He was traveling with new chief of staff Joshua Bolten, charged with reinvigorating a White House rocked by public discontent with the Iraq war and a series of missteps ranging from an ill-fated Supreme Court nomination to a bungled response to Hurricane Katrina.

Bush's poll ratings are at their lowest point. Hundreds of protesters called for his resignation near the Cisco compound where he spoke.

Even his trip put the president squarely in the middle of a federal-state dustup.

Bush decided not to grant the pre-emptive federal disaster declaration sought for California's fragile levees by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who faces a tough re-election fight and has had a chilly relationship with Bush. Instead, the president is allowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help speed repairs at the state's expense.

Bush seemed aware of the precarious political landscape.

When Bush turned the microphone at Cisco over to Schwarzenegger, the governor said, "First of all, I want to say congratulations."

"For what?" asked the president, appearing genuinely surprised.

The governor, who had discussed the levee issue during a limousine ride with Bush, replied that he was glad to see the president "really paying attention" to the competitiveness issue.

Afterward, Bush talked privately with scholars from Stanford University's Hoover Institution, including former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, a Hoover fellow and early defender of the use of pre-emptive force to deal with Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.

Plans to hold the meeting at the Hoover Institution were scuttled when protesters blocked Bush's motorcade from going through the only entrance. Shultz, who was already hosting a private dinner for Bush later at his Palo Alto home, had the session moved to his two-story, gray-shingled house.

One reason for a weekend trip with a lot of downtime in beautiful places became clear even before Bush boarded Air Force One to leave Washington. Crew were seen loading two shiny mountain bikes _ one a red-white-and-blue Trek adorned with the presidential seal and "United States of America." With stays scheduled in picturesque Napa Valley and the Palm Springs area, the bikes weren't likely to remain clean for long.

"Tomorrow I'm going to be riding my bike in Napa Valley. I can't wait," Bush told his Cisco audience.

Before returning to Washington Monday night, Bush was making stops to raise money for the national Republican Party, visit with Marines and Navy sailors, and press Congress to break a logjam over the immigration legislation he wants.


TOPICS: Editorial; Extended News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: bush; calvisit; ciscosystems; donothingcongress; economicilliteracy; energy; gascrisis; gasprices; paleosocialists; whining
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To: Alberta's Child

han why have a gov't and a congress that take so much in taxes and people's fruits of their labor?


321 posted on 04/24/2006 12:01:44 PM PDT by chris1 (I)
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To: mariabush

good enough. thanks.


322 posted on 04/24/2006 12:15:44 PM PDT by liberallarry
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To: lepton
His limp words.

Leni

323 posted on 04/24/2006 12:40:06 PM PDT by MinuteGal ("FReeps Ahoy 4" will be sailing May 13th! We'll have After-Cruise Pix to Post. Stay Tuned !)
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To: MichiganConservative

We import OIL, not gasoline.


324 posted on 04/24/2006 12:47:29 PM PDT by barnswallow
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To: P-40
My favorite drivers are the ones that will run the AC while they eat...with the windows down. Turn the damn car off!

Yeah, you gotta love those people, to hell with pollution, run the engine as long as possible!

325 posted on 04/24/2006 12:47:41 PM PDT by rockabyebaby (Say what you feel, those that matter don't mind, those that mind don't matter.)
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To: takenoprisoner
Unfortunately in America there are no so-called "little guys" anymore.

They all sport a bit-time oil company logo over their establishments.

The big problem is that the USA is now importing gasoline as well as crude oil these days. This is due to the fact that we don't have enough refineries and those that we have have been with us for decades.

Amazing.

The USA imports all that crude and gasoline and we even import our cement (mainly from Mexico's Cemex...they even have ready-mix batch plants set up around the country) as well as most everything else.

326 posted on 04/24/2006 12:49:26 PM PDT by FerdieMurphy (For English, Press One. (Tookie, you won the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes. Oh, too late.))
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To: ClaireSolt

Save energy at night while driving with your headlights off.


327 posted on 04/24/2006 12:50:07 PM PDT by FerdieMurphy (For English, Press One. (Tookie, you won the Pulitzer and Nobel prizes. Oh, too late.))
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To: EricT.
Uhh...Thanks. I can't see the price of gas over here under my rock...

No need for sarcasm, prices vary from station to station here, today I saw regular at $3.09 and premium at $3.29, went past another station less than 1/4 mile away and prices were under two dollars.

328 posted on 04/24/2006 12:50:31 PM PDT by rockabyebaby (Say what you feel, those that matter don't mind, those that mind don't matter.)
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To: Doogle

Precisely. Federal excise taxes on all fuels should be suspended immediately.

Here's a link to the IRS Statistics of Income on excise taxes: http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-soi/histab21.xls


329 posted on 04/24/2006 1:15:42 PM PDT by Conservative Goddess (Politiae legibus, non leges politiis, adaptandae)
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To: from occupied ga

God has blessed you and I'm glad this doesn't affect you too much. Like you say, its pretty incredible how FReepers are starting to sound like the whine and cheese farting crowd


330 posted on 04/24/2006 1:53:43 PM PDT by SaintDismas
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To: lepton

Speak English son, I'm to stupid to know your acronyms.


331 posted on 04/24/2006 1:56:39 PM PDT by SaintDismas
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To: stevio
It's quite frustrating actually. It almost makes me think he is a fraud because his administration won't ever bring the evidence foreword. They will never go on the attack and I feel they are either liars or just plain stupid. They wasted a golden opportunity to show how devious the left wing and the media have been throughout this war. They are wasting an opportunity to ram environmentalism down the throats of the left. Bush said he would sign an assault weapon ban if it came to his desk and he broke his CFR promise. Way to shore up the base pal. I am hopeful the GOP wins during the next election cycle, but I'm not very confident. Our prospects for president in the next election are nothing but RINOs for the most part. True conservatives are dieing a death of a thousand cuts. We loyally vote and send our cash and we get nothing but spin, rhetoric and more big government.
332 posted on 04/24/2006 1:57:12 PM PDT by satchmodog9 (Most people stand on the tracks and never even hear the train coming)
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To: texastoo

I remember Gore saying that


333 posted on 04/24/2006 1:59:02 PM PDT by MaineVoter2002 (http://jednet207.tripod.com/PoliticalLinks.html)
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To: rockabyebaby
run the engine as long as possible!

I consistently find that people that idle the engine for long periods of time believe that, since they are not moving, they are not really using any gas.
334 posted on 04/24/2006 2:03:28 PM PDT by P-40 (http://www.590klbj.com/forum/index.php?referrerid=1854)
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To: FerdieMurphy

There is something"W"could do RIGHT NOW!He could sign an"Executive Order"rescinding the use of Ethanol(which is in short supply),and ALL the various formulations from the EPA!!!


335 posted on 04/24/2006 2:14:33 PM PDT by bandleader
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To: Mayflower Sister

Honda is reducing it's "Hybrid"production.Does that tell you something?


336 posted on 04/24/2006 2:15:57 PM PDT by bandleader
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To: Mayflower Sister

NEVER!The Government can NEVER do with LESS!!Apparently,we can????????


337 posted on 04/24/2006 2:16:50 PM PDT by bandleader
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To: satchmodog9
Couldn't agree more. Stay strong.
338 posted on 04/24/2006 2:16:52 PM PDT by stevio (Red-Blooded Crunchy Con, American Male (NRA))
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To: kevkrom

RIGHT ON!!We haven't built a new refinery in over 30-years!!!


339 posted on 04/24/2006 2:18:52 PM PDT by bandleader
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To: barnswallow

Actually, we're importing more refined products than ever.
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/international/oiltrade.html


340 posted on 04/24/2006 2:23:08 PM PDT by MichiganConservative (Government IS the problem.)
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