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.
Did I say you?? The fact of the matter is most people will not conserve. Take a drive on the freeway & see how many people drive 55, which will save a ton on gas useage. Hardly any, at least here in CT.
This will surely send his approval ratings even higher
No, but why should that get in the way...
SQUID to Bush: BS!
You are right and this is what I find most discouraging about this whole mess. I don't like paying higher prices any more than anyone else here, but, to be honest, it isn't going to break me. I can find a way to manage it. What is most discouraging is that this situation is an opportunity for our party and its leader to take some initiative and show some leadership, and he is taking a pass on that. I know the government doesn't (directly) set prices on gasoline, but there are things we can implement on the energy production side of the equation. Get moving on those things, and make a case to the public that these are sensible and useful measures. Don't sit back and say, sorry, nothing I can do. That is a prescription for failure and massive political defeat in the Fall. It sounds eerily like the infamous "malaise" of the doomed Carter presidency.
What could those things be? Exactly what many here have suggested. Eliminating "boutique" fuel blends that cause inefficiencies in the refining process. Allow increased utilization of domestic supplies. It makes no sense to me that Castro can drill for oil 90 miles off the Florida coast yet we have wackos agitating to stop American companies from exploring within 200 miles of the coast. Expand refining capacity by easing environmental regulations and curbing excessive litigation and intervention that prevents new refinery construction and expansion of existing capacity. Move towards alternate fuels by passing incentives to allow economical use of alternatives, like plug-in hybrids and ethanol production. Granted, many of those things won't result in immediate relief, but they will move us in a direction away from the one we seem to be heading.
Even if there isn't a thing in the world a chief executive can do about gas prices, you grab the mike at the bully pulpit and pretend you can, for gosh sakes.
In Bush's shoes today, Klintoon would be all over the tube jawboning the fuel crisis to death to make it look like he was doing something.
The politically-tone deaf and detached Bush wouldn't "stoop" to do an iota of this......which is why the public will vote DemoRat in the mid-term election.
I feel like I'm going mad.
Leni
Uhh...Thanks. I can't see the price of gas over here under my rock...
"Even if there isn't a thing in the world a chief executive can do about gas prices, you grab the mike at the bully pulpit and pretend you can, for gosh sakes."
Oh. I thought Republicans were for free market economics.
I've been looking at new cars recently.
I just cannot justify the cost difference to buy a hybrid model. I don't drive enough for the fuel savings to offset the thousands of extra dollars spent on a hybrid.
Perhaps if they really WANT us to drive hybrids, they should lower the price.
Leni
The environazi's are killing us...
They don't need to lower the price of something that's in demand. I'm starting to agree with another poster (possibly on another gasoline thread) who said that Freepers' grasp of economics wasn't all that solid.
You want the president to do something, or at least "sound like" he can do something about gas prices. Yes, I understood your point.
You can be SURE that those whiners all get HBO, Cinemax, and EVERY channel offered by their cable company and don't throw a fit every time the cable service prices go up (every 3 months).
I'm p.o.'d about the gas prices too.
Now, this is just ignorant slander. " he can't or doesn't know how to negociate." He is suberb with congress, probably the best since LBJ. He has gotten a lot done with tiny margins. You must watch soap operas instead of c-span.
Exactly, red meat for the sheeple.
Most if not all of the things you listed are already happening. I agree, too, that those are good things.
The one thing I think he really needed to push on (and did) was to break open the process to build new refineries, and that did happen and there are new refineries to be built. That's going to take a while.
I don't like high prices either, and I'm feeding a brand new five thousand pound V8 SUV that has a healthy appetite. But there still seem to be a lot of people willing to pay the prices, and until that changes, it's all just a bunch of bellyachin'. Traffic hasn't changed any.
If there is anything that can truely damage the GOP's prospects in 06 I think rising energy costs is it. If people start paying 3$ plus at the pump regularlly they are going to start screaming and a do nothing congress isnt going to impress anyone..neither will hearing where self important boobs sit around and scold oil execs for "excessive profits".
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