Posted on 04/24/2006 8:03:31 AM PDT by SmithL
President Bush's sagging approval ratings over the Iraq war and a host of other problems have led him to begin a White House staff shake-up. New polling data suggest the rising cost of gas could cause more political damage.
Three-quarters of Americans said they disapprove of Bush's handling of the gas price surge, according to an ABC News/Washington Post poll.
Fuel and oil prices jumped to third place - behind Iraq and immigration - in a Gallup Poll survey asking Americans to rate the country's most pressing problems.
One problem for Bush is that oil traders' fears of geopolitical instability have been fueled by his major foreign policy initiatives - first in Iraq, where the war is into its fourth year, and now in Iran, which is defying warnings from Bush and other world leaders over its nuclear ambitions.
Fifteen Democratic senators, including Dianne Feinstein of California, wrote Bush on Tuesday, asking him to convene an emergency energy summit and to back legislation dealing with price gouging.
"In the absence of leadership or cooperation from your administration, we will soon be moving ahead with our own set of real solutions, which will spur the kind of innovation and investment America needs to secure its energy future for the 21st century," the senators wrote.
Republican lawmakers, meanwhile, have shown little interest in Bush's appeal, in his State of the Union speech this year, to reduce Americans' dependence on foreign oil by investing in alternative fuel technologies. Such initiatives could bring down gasoline prices in the long term, but...
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
Soaring gas cost may mean worry for Bush, GOP
All W needs to do is announce that we will be drilling our own oil and will not import one drop of foreign oil. Then do it and watch the prices plummet.
Why is that???? I would just hammer the Democrats each and every day on how they stopped exploration of oil in the U.S. In fact they should take another vote now and put all of these lawmakers on record.
LOL
We can drill all the oil we want. If we don't have the refineries, it won't get to the gas pump.
That, and the fact that it will take many years to see a drop of oil from any new wells we drill, I wouldn't count on any price reductions any time soon.
Considering the Demon-crap's continued blocking of any and all Energy legislation such as drilling in ANWAR, offshore drilling, Nuclear power etc., etc., etc. I can't see why.
Somehow, I feel that something is behind the gas price more that the price of oil. Almost feels like the RATS have set us up.
Ha ha. More like watch prices head for $1,000/barrel because we can't begin to supply enough oil for our own needs, even if we put a giant vacuum over ANWR.
How would that work? Tell us.
Futures markets are based on “feelings” and psychology. Just the threat of action would force prices down.
Amen. Why the Bush Administration fails to get in front of obvious issues like this, I just don't understand.
Hammer them on Anwar, hammer them on EPA restrictions for refineries, hammer them on fuel additives.
Nah, W would rather stumble and bumble than attack his political enemies.
Considering that Bush was a cheerleader in college, he is doing a mind-boggling horrific job extoling his administration's handling of the economy.
Furthermore, regarding his energy plan from day one in 2001...the Democrats have impeded a sensible policy all along......where is the spokesmen telling us this fact??!!
I've never seen such a wimpy administration...excluding the War on terror.
Seems like Bush has to apologize for every positive position.
And every time he tries to extend his hand to the Dems, they bite it off!!
Bush has nothing to lose now and should get tough......if he can.
Still, the drive by media would just harp on teh fact that drilling will not help us this summer.
No, it won't, but it would have helped if crats had not stopped drilling in ANWR and many locations offshore for the last three years.
I went to the gas station this weekend and it was so popular that I had to wait for a pump.
Yeah, it's the GOP's fault the Dims won't let us drill in ANWR.
There is more oil in the sands of Canada than all of the middle east combined and we won't have to worry about insane mullahs fixing the price.
We've been propping up the Saud family for decades while they blame all of their country's ills on the United States. I say it's way past time to cut them loose, dealing with those headcutting savages for oil just isn't worth it.
We don't have to supply oil for our own needs. Petroleum is a worldwide commodity. All we have to do is increase production marginally, and the price comes down.
BTW, There is a LOT of oil in ANWR, despite what the Democrats wish. There is a lot of oil off the coast of California and Florida, and in the Gulf, too. The ecoweenies prevent us from getting it.
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