Posted on 03/15/2012 8:57:11 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
Remember that Barack Obama insists that there are "no silver bullets" to fix the issue of high gas prices. So when British Prime Minister David Cameron visited Washington for high-level talks and the discussion turned to gas prices, what did Obama propose? According to Reuters, holy water and a garland of garlic:
President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron discussed the possibility of releasing emergency oil reserves during a meeting on Wednesday, two sources familiar with the talks said, the first sign that Obama is starting to test global support for an effort to knock back near-record fuel prices. Obama raised the issue during a broad bilateral meeting at the White House, according to a UK official with knowledge of the discussion.
Asked about the talks, a senior Obama administration official said: “No agreement was reached. We will continue to work together to address energy security and oil price issues.” While U.S. officials have said for weeks that they will consider all possible measures – including a release from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) – to prevent prices from derailing a nascent economic recovery, Wednesday’s meeting was the clearest indication that diplomatic talks were moving ahead. Discussions could last as long as several months before any decision is made, one of the sources said.
We’ve discussed the demand from Democrats on the strategic petroleum reserve on a number of occasions. The problem with the gasoline and oil markets isn’t a temporary disruption in a healthy supply, however, which is what the SPR is designed to buffer. The problem is a chronically and artificially suppressed supply, thanks to Democratic insistence on blocking domestic energy production and oil extraction over the last three decades or more.
This is what Obama refers to as the “silver bullet,” claiming that expanding drilling and extraction is a short-term policy that won’t enhance American energy independence. That’s utter nonsense; drilling is a long-term solution that actually addresses the chronic supply issue and — not coincidentally — the trade imbalance, the weak dollar, jobs, economic growth, and a number of other issues in the American economy. If drilling is short-term thinking, then what can a one-time release from the SPR be called — the ADD solution?
Jim Geraghty gives a chronicle of SPR releases:
The “emergency” would seem to be Obama’s poll numbers. Then again, this seems to be a Democratic candidate tradition; Al Gore called for the same move while running for president in 2000.
Oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve has been sold five times in its history: Most recently in 2011 during the conflict in Libya; in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina; a sale of $227 million worth of oil during fiscal year 1996 to reduce the federal budget deficit; in 1990-1991 during Desert Shield/Desert Storm, and a small “test sale” in 1985.
And how well have those releases worked as long-term solutions? Tina Korbe noted that gas prices actually went higher within weeks of the release last summer. The only reason for an SPR release now would be for the “emergency” Jim identifies — the electoral emergency Obama will face if gas prices continue to rapidly increase.
The RNC has a new video out today showing just how often Obama has reminded us that there are “no silver bullets” on gas prices — and how little he has done to implement a long-term policy that will lower them:
From the Daily Telegraph:
15.26 (GMT) Reuters is reporting that the UK expects a formal request shortly from the US to release its emergency oil reserves. Brent has fallen on that news.
16.12 An aide to US President Barack Obama has said the oil release reports are “inaccurate”. Brent on the way back up.
Or to quote ZeroHedge: “For those who wonder what just happened, it is called a “headline market test” - since Crude dropped less than $2 on the report of the release, the final action, which would be very politically unpopular, may just not be worth it for Barry.”
Gas prices started “spiking” in February 2011.
To Obama and the Democrats, losing the election would be a national emergency. Releasing oil from the SPR is about as effective at lowering gas prices as a $100 tax rebate is at spurring the economy.
He'd have to time the release for several weeks before the election to get a 5¢ drop. His only hope for seriously lower gas prices is for the Iranians to overthrow Ahmadinejad and renounce their plans to build the bomb. Not too likely.
Hey, it worked last time....oh, wait...it didn’t.
Are knee pads ready? We'll bow to the Sauds AND pledge allegiance to a flag with Obama's picture on it.
Thanks liberal elites ...
This will be really disgusting if he taps into our oil reserve just to win votes!!!
Man, that title seems awfully queer.
I wonder if Nancy Leprosy will stage a phony Congressional hearing with “Sandra Frack” talking about how she heard a friend of a friend of hers got cancer or something from drinking well water near a fracking site and that the wealthy, white males who run these fracking operations must be stopped for the good of all the poor, disadvantaged peoples of the world who obviously can’t afford cancer treatments since they can’t even afford their own contraception.
Who did the reporting on this one, Jake Tapper?
I have a theory and it is my contention that the Obama Administration will First: Foment the gas prices and allow them to rise as much as possible thus allowing the GOP to tie a heck of a lot of resources into slamming the President for inability to lower the gas prices ........ THEN .... a month or so before the election release the SPR and announce that he will stop the moratorium on off shore drilling, etc. This would then start the oil prices to start slipping and lowering. Thus diminishing the GOP argument. ..... The Saudis are already hinting that they may begin increasing their output soon.
Hopefully the GOP nominee will have a "Plan B" and won't tie up his entire campaign into this one basket!! The president is vulnerable on so many fronts .... and he may be suckering and playing conservatives like a fiddle on this one. He is a community agitator by trade and knows how to control people. "Never underestimate the abilities of your opponent" .... is a good philosophy to have. Especially when the opponent is a known liar and deceiver.
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