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Is T. Boone Pickens 'Swiftboating' America?
Fox News ^ | July 24, 2008 | Steven Milloy

Posted on 07/24/2008 3:48:43 PM PDT by kellynla

Liberals have done a U-turn on conservative billionaire oilman T. Boone Pickens.

Formerly reviled for funding the "Swift Boat Veterans for Truth" campaign against Sen. John Kerry, he's now adored by the Left — unfortunately, for trying to gaslight the rest of us on energy policy.

This column recently spotlighted Pickens' proposed plan to get America off foreign oil by substituting wind-generated electricity for natural gas-generated electricity and then using the natural gas to replace gasoline.

Already having addressed the proposal's flaws — and Pickens' plan to profit at taxpayer expense from it — let's consider how Pickens' marketing shades the truth.

On his Web site and in TV commercials, Pickens tries to frighten Americans about being "addicted to foreign oil."

"In 1970, we imported 24 percent of our oil. Today, it's nearly 70 percent and growing," he intones.

Aside from the fact that the Department of Energy (DOE) puts the import figure at a more moderate 58 percent, Pickens gives the impression that imported oil is scary because it all comes from the unstable Mideast.

His TV commercials feature images of American soldiers fighting in Iraq and he likens the annual $700 billion cost of foreign oil to "four times the annual cost of the Iraq war."

But hold the phone. Only 16 percent of our imported oil comes from the Persian Gulf — barely up from 13.6 percent in 1973, according to the DOE. Imports from OPEC countries are actually down — from 47.8 percent in 1973 to 44.5 percent in 2007.

Contrary to Pickens' assertion that oil imports are growing, the DOE expects oil imports to decrease by 10 percent by 2030.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: agw; energy; gas; oil; pickensplan; tboonepickens
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To: Democrat_media

In fact, supply was relatively flat from 2003-2007 and hadn’t increased until this year while demand has continued to increase over the years...

which is what I’ve been trying to relay to everyone but you are one of the few who has recognized it.


81 posted on 07/25/2008 8:21:31 AM PDT by kellynla (Freedom of speech makes it easier to spot the idiots! Semper Fi!)
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To: Racer1

There is no reason to move on from oil to stop sending money to OPEC. We have enough domestic sources of oil to last 100 years or more. And that is only what we know about. And then there is about 400 years worth of coal.


82 posted on 07/25/2008 9:01:08 AM PDT by TigersEye (Drill or get off the Hill. ... call Nancy Pelosi @ 202 - 225 - 0100)
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To: TigersEye

Are you talking about the Carl Icahn question? The links go back to that...


83 posted on 07/25/2008 4:45:20 PM PDT by e_castillo
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To: e_castillo
No. I was talking about the question I asked you in post #44 that you didn't answer and your non-sequitur reply to post #62.
84 posted on 07/25/2008 5:12:52 PM PDT by TigersEye (Drill or get off the Hill. ... call Nancy Pelosi @ 202 - 225 - 0100)
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To: TigersEye

Oh that question. I frankly didn’t care to look it up. Sorry. However, I’m all for reducing taxes and if they get a Fed subsidy that needs to go away so be it. I think somehow Texas would find a little more money ratted away in the state budget.


85 posted on 07/25/2008 5:19:30 PM PDT by e_castillo
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To: kellynla
T-Bone's lookin' for a little bit of our taxpayer dollars in the form of an 'alternative energy subsidy'.

Just business, that's all...

86 posted on 07/25/2008 5:53:33 PM PDT by meyer (...by any means necessary.)
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To: marron

#7 Coal. Out of style, but it still works and there’s lots of it. (and - hint - It’s a lot cheaper than natural gas for electric production.


87 posted on 07/25/2008 5:56:39 PM PDT by meyer (...by any means necessary.)
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To: e_castillo

I haven’t heard a thing from you to encourage me to support T. Boone Pickens’ plan. In fact you’re projecting just the stand offish attitude I suspect he has. Pickens isn’t owed anything so he can go fish.


88 posted on 07/25/2008 6:10:11 PM PDT by TigersEye (Drill or get off the Hill. ... call Nancy Pelosi @ 202 - 225 - 0100)
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To: TigersEye

I posted the link to his plan. I’m not trying to convince you to support it. I think it’s workable and thats about it.

Here’s another site:
http://www.ercot.com/
or:
http://www.ercot.com/news/press_releases/2008/nr04-02-08
or:
http://www.ercot.com/content/news/presentations/2008/ERCOT_Quick_Facts_May_2008.pdf


89 posted on 07/27/2008 8:13:00 AM PDT by e_castillo
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To: MileHi

“...........Another journalist who doesn’t understand the term “swift boating”.........”

My thoughts too. The answer to headline is; NO! He’s lying to the American people.

If he were ‘Swift Boating’, he’d be telling the truth.


90 posted on 07/27/2008 9:47:25 AM PDT by Islander7 ("Show me an honest politician and I will show you a case of mistaken identity.")
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