Posted on 07/20/2008 6:50:20 AM PDT by kellynla
With only six months left in office, President Bush has finally repealed presidential restrictions on oil drilling in American waters.
Now it's Congress' turn to do the same and start bringing more domestic energy online.
To almost anyone outside of Washington, making better use of domestic energy resources would seem a painfully obvious step at a time when gasoline is topping $4 a gallon. However, much of the nation's energy potential remains off-limits. This includes 85 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf, thanks to longstanding government prohibitions.
Congressional restrictions have been in place since 1982, while the White House policy was instituted by the first President Bush in 1990 and was later extended by Bill Clinton. At the time, gas was little more than $1 a gallon and the need for additional oil supplies less pressing. However, the current president, despite battling $2, then $3, and now $4 a gallon gas during his presidency, had kept these outdated restrictions in place. Until now.
Bush should have taken this step between 2001 and 2006, when he had a Republican Congress more likely to cooperate with him. But better late than never, and Bush is now gamely urging Democratic leaders in Congress to "show that they have finally heard the frustrations of the American people by matching the action I've taken today, repealing the congressional ban, and passing legislation to facilitate responsible offshore exploration." But Democrats have made clear that it will be an uphill battle.
(Excerpt) Read more at sltrib.com ...
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
people are outraged. That will change the drilling problem. High gas prices, food, cost of shipping goods, airlines cutting jobs and on and on and we have not hit heating oil yet, power bill are going up by 30% now.
Why do I get the feeling they will open up all exploration if they gain the presidency?
The despicable liberal dems are holding on till the election, if the community organizer gets in they will clear the way for drilling, just you wait and see.
We have to force them to do it NOW!
Lets see thier bi partisan effort. fat chance!
The Rats are hanging themselves with this issue.
It might happen this election, or it might have to fester longer under a Rat controlled WH and Hill, but they will pay the price ----eventually----.
Those airline jobs are all union jobs, aren’t they? Drilling and refining jobs would also all be union, as well. Unions back Obama. I conclude there is a back room agreement to open drilling, lower gasoline and energy costs after the election, while somehow keeping the union workers on some sort of unemployment/union benefits progam for a few months. Obama and his campaign have alredy bee caught in private talks with Canada and US CEOs reassuring them that Obama will work with them after the election.
If a Republican Congress did this in expectations of a GOP POTUS, the media and the donks would be screaming “Hardship Hits the Working Class” and “Shady Deals with Big Oil” even louder than they already are screaming about hardships for the poor.
George H.W. Bush gave us higher taxes, a moratorium on oil drilling, and David Souter.
All the while pushing off against Ronald Reagan by asking for a “kinder, gentler “ sort of Republican.
No more Bush's on the white house.. EVER!. I would say, at least GHWB always had the best people in the best positions. Contrast that to the unqualified lackeys like Alberto Gonzales that we have been graced with. The Harriet Miers fiasco was a disgrace, too.
Sorry, should have read: No more Bush’s IN the white house..
With all due respect, I think Jeb Bush would have made a great president. I guess we will never know . . .
Possibility that he runs for Senate and or President in 2012.
George W. Bush’s biggest mistake was appointing Paul Bremer as “tsar” of Iraq. George Tenet wasn’t much better.
I think his mistakes might have easily cost America at least $200 billion. He had nice cowboy boots , though.
Jeb was always the more intelligent and dynamic one, who fundamentally understood issues like school choice, and the types of things Steve Forbes has normally advocated. However, at this point, we have been fooled by two different Bush’s. Both told us they were conservatives.. both were liars. As much as I generally like Jeb, I am not trusting another Bush.
The Republicans had the House, the Senate and the presidency. They could have repealed all bans on drilling. Instead we got prescription drugs, open borders, Mexican tomatoes, Dubai running our security and runaway deficit spending. Thanks, Republicans.
And you wonder why Conservatives switch to “Independent” or “Decline to State” and waste their votes on third party candidates.
You idiot Republican politicians just don’t get it. How clearly I remember after the 2006 Democrat bloodbath, when the Republicans canned their leaders and then replaced them with the same old corporate sellouts they canned. The Republican party is dying and is getting what it deserves.
I mean, what hope is there for a party that is so out of touch with its voter base that they run the bunch of assholes they did and let McCain get the nomination. A real genius there, to spend all his time courting the votes of blacks and hispanics who will shun him in massive numbers.
Either the Republican party is grossly incompetent, or Michael Savage is right — it is all manipulated behind the scenes and after the R’s get their 8 years in the White House, everybody agrees the D’s get their 8 years. I find the conspiracy theory easier to believe than that the Republicans could be this thoroughly incompetent. Could any group truly be this stupid?
how many exceptional congressmen can you name?
and I can't think of one exceptional GOP senator...
that's why we haven't had but one exceptional GOP president in the past 50 years! And the only reason that the GOP has won more presidential elections than the 'Rats over the past 50 years is because the 'Rat party is even more incompetent!
Why should conservatives wait? There are other measures that could be taken that would add to drilling and create a republican win and, more importantly, a revival of the conservative majority.
Of course, John McCain would have to be more reasoned and less impulsive about such things as global warming.
I'm not saying they should wait, what I mean is that it just might not happen yet.
The AGW issue is still strong. It could take a lot of pain before the brain dead fence sitting people wake up and force the issue.
But I'm with you, we should drill a lot right now!
Either the Republican party is grossly incompetent, or Michael Savage is right — it is all manipulated behind the scenes and after the R’s get their 8 years in the White House, everybody agrees the D’s get their 8 years. I find the conspiracy theory easier to believe than that the Republicans could be this thoroughly incompetent. Could any group truly be this stupid?
Another person gets it. Think of all those disdainful threads and comments on FreeRepublic over the years about onspiraces and "tin hats".
Furthermore the "conspiracy" does not simply mean five people in a backroom on Thursday night. It means the implicit manipulation to maintain position and power, regardless of real solutions, or common sense, or logic, or new ideas, or political party.
We are ruled by an Oligarchy. It's that simple. A collective who need to maintain their position, and their (in this episode, misguided) agenda.
This happens in virtually every institution, where the current management needs to cover its ass on ongoing decisions, and thus "cultivates" a following, a "conspiracy" so to speak, to protect itself. Consequently honest evaluation, new solutions, new ideas, and open discussion, are repressed in favor of the in-place Ego. And it takes real courage, and help, to buck the authority.
This clearly happens to any new politician in DC who gets sucked into the heirarchy, that is, the Conspiracy.
In a way I think that many voters, obviously naive, but perhaps well intentioned, actually see Barrack Obama as the actual alternative to the DC "conspiracy." As somebody different, to break the system. (The problem of course is his "change" is the same as the Bolshevik change, the tragically wrong direction).
That is why Hillary, who could easily be perceived as the same old DC heirarchy, was outed. In other words, they, the Left, really do know politically what they are doing. Similarly GWB, with the Patriot Act, the furtive North American Union, Iraq, the Kelo Decision, can clearly be perceived as the Oligarchy, operating beyond the voter. I believe it myself, especially with respect to the immigrant thing.
From a conservative viewpoint, and all that it implies, historically, philosophically, morally, etc. this spin of the Left, is really really hard to beat. It means the only way is to make it crystal clear what conservatism is, the responsibility of a human being to weather his own decisions and allow others the same, only possible within an individually moral framework; in other words, citizen operations beyond the Oligarchy, only possible with real civic, and moral, virtue.
Count me a pessimst but methinks we are now far far too long gone. I teach, and see it every day.
“With all due respect, I think Jeb Bush would have made a great president.”
Jeb Bush didn’t want drilling offshore Florida when he was governor.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.