Posted on 8/3/2004, 7:59:41 PM by truthandlife
Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) said Tuesday that rising consumption and decreasing domestic production have led to high gasoline prices but also blamed his Democratic opponents and their opposition to the Bush administration's energy policies. The Bush-Cheney campaign accuses Senate Democrats of blocking a Bush energy plan that would increase petroleum drilling and energy conservation and provide new tax breaks and other incentives to spur exploration and production.
"John Kerry (news - web sites) and John Edwards (news - web sites) voted no," Cheney said. "It's another area where I think there is a significant difference."
Cheney advocated increasing domestic oil production in wildlife areas in Alaska and other regions that are off-limits to development.
"We have put ourselves into a box. The only thing I can think of to do is to keep pushing for a comprehensive energy policy," he said. "We are at the mercy of those international oil prices."
Cheney, making his third trip to Arkansas this year, also criticized Democratic filibusters that have blocked consideration of Bush appointees to the bench.
"Anybody that might disagree with their liberal philosophy doesn't get to come to the floor of the Senate for a vote, and that's just wrong," he told a hand-picked audience of supporters in response to audience questions. One questioner accused federal judges of legislating from the bench.
"The vast majority of Americans believe this is one nation under God, and we believe we ought to be able to say that when we pledge allegiance to the flag," Cheney said.
Cheney said Bush's re-election is crucial to making America safer.
"This campaign is about what kind of strategy (voters) want. Do they think the president and the rest of us who serve him are on the right track?" he asked. "Sometimes the other team is stuck in the pre-9/11 mentality. They haven't made the transition."
Cheney said the heart of the strategy for the war in Iraq (news - web sites) is to do what the coalition is doing in Afghanistan (news - web sites) and Iraq — training, supporting and equipping locals to take over the political and security responsibilities for their own country.
"We don't want to leave too soon and leave a mess there," he said. "The bottom line is ... to leave behind the kind of government that will never again be a safe haven for terrorists."
Cheney spoke from a podium that was in sight of a handful of protesters who marched outside the Convention Center, some carrying signs that included a reference to Bush, Cheney and Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) as "the axis of evil."
Gotta love Dick Cheney.
The 'Rats won't allow coal power plants, gas power plants, or nuclear power plants and block drilling for oil anywhere, yet somehow they believe that we can achieve energy independence.
Four more years!
Four more years...
We can, with the power of wishful thinking and lots of hot air.
And the Bush-Cheney position on this is correct. We must make every effort to encourage domestic exploration and production. That alone, however, will not bring gasoline prices down to historic levels. We also must build new refineries.
IIRC, the last refinery built in this country was in 1976, and our refinery capacity is currently running at over 95%. That being the case, any disruption of production at any of our refineries causes a supply problem.
Supply problems=higher prices.
Is HE still on the ticket? </sarcasm off>
I can't tell you the number of Kerry bumper stickers I've seen on the backs of SUVs.
Absolutely. The Democrats and Environmental sycophants can't see the forest for the trees.
Shout it louder. Let's give Thereaaaasssa a HELL of a headache.
We can't drill or harvest lumber responsibly in Alaska for environmental reasons - meanwhile over 2,000,000 acres of have already burned up.
They want us to live in caves.
If memory serves me, weren't there more than a few liberal NE Republican Senators opposed as well?
Snowe
Chaffee
Collins
And where was McCain on this?
He will wipe the floor with pretty boy during the debates.
Who knows? How many votes would there be in an answer?
Ya want gas prices to go down? Try having standard types of gasoline across the nation. As it currently stands, many states have mandates for certain additives to be added to gasoline sold with in the state. The problem is that the additives are different for each of these states.
If everyone used the same gas, differentiated only by octane rating, prices at the pump would drop.
Best Regards
Sergio
I saw this advertisment for BP (British Petroleum) in a magazine. It showed a picture of this attractive 30-something woman talking (as if being interviewed) with an outdoors, desert-looking background. It gave her name and her profession, which was something movie-related, like "screenwriter."
The words she was (supposedly) saying were: "I really want to save the planet, but I can't imagine me without my car."
I thought that pretty much encapsulated the entire Democrat position. It sounds good, sort of noble and yet realistic, but if you parse the words carefully you'll find there's absolutely nothing there.
(steely)
Close to 3.5 million. Not all good timber, though. About 1% of the State. We couldn't do this every year since some of the growth takes 200 years or more. Every 3-4 years wouldn't be a problem.
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.