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 ...
This Administration's communication skills are virtually ZERO.
In a way, it's good --- we'll use up all the cheaper ME oil that the rest of the world has access to first.
They waste it on their various schemes.
Then we use our own whilst China and the rest freeze.
If you want lower fuel prices stay away from India & Chinese products. As their economy slows oil prices will drop. Or pump more Iraqi oil for free to the US.
Agree, every drop matters at this point...This ANWR blockage has been going on for a decade. Clinton vetoed drilling there twice in the mid 90's. The Dems should be burned at the stake for this.
The Dims do --- by filibuster --- control the Senate.
Good point. The GOP has been handed a golden hammer. They just don't seem to know enough to use it. One could add to the list of golden hammers the issue of the surveillance of phone calls to foreign terrorists. Put the Dems to a damn vote on the issue! Instead Republicans just squat there like toads and they don't go on the attack. Very frustrating.
This is what Chavez and Ahmadinejad are banking on. Hence, their continued rhetoric.
"do it and watch the prices plummet".
"LOL"
Yeah right. Prices will plummet huh.. LOL right along with you.
"do it and watch the prices plummet".
"LOL"
Yeah right. Prices will plummet huh.. LOL right along with you.
Isn't there just 1 year of oil in ANWAR?
uhhhhhhh.........no just a weeeeee bit more
Actually, there is truth in what you say.
Declare an energy emergency. Issue three executive orders.
Order no. 1 authorizes drilling on both Coasts, the gulf, Anwar and all federal lands.
Order no. 2 authorizes nuclear reactors built to produce 100% of electricity in the US.
Order no. 3 authorizes refineries to be built with only one environmental challenge and coal and tar sands to be mined to produce oil.
Then spotlight Democrats opposition to all energy exploration in the US which has brought us to a crisis of epic proportions.
The failure of any kind of national energy policy over the past 25 years is almost unbelievable. If we had one we'd be pumping oil down from alaska as we speak.
Yeah, it's the GOP's fault the Dims won't let us drill in ANWR.
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