No drilling in ANWR - check
No new refineries - check
No energy policy - check
No fuel tax relief - check
No border controls - check
Posted on 04/24/2006 4:59:57 AM PDT by FerdieMurphy
SAN JOSE -- As oil prices hit a record, drivers worried about $3-a-gallon gas and politicians feared the impact on elections, President Bush on Friday acknowledged the pain but seemed resigned to being able to do little about it.
"I know the folks here are suffering at the gas pump," the president said while promoting his competitiveness initiative at the Silicon Valley headquarters of Internet networking company Cisco Systems Inc. "Rising gasoline prices is like taking a _ is like a tax, particularly on the working people and the small-business people."
But to address the immediate problem, Bush offered only a pledge that "if we find any price gouging it will be dealt with firmly."
Bush said that lowering America's dependance on foreign oil imports will help reduce the country's vulnerability to global oil price fluctuations. On Saturday, the president was pushing his proposals to boost spending to develop alternative energy sources, particularly hydrogen-fueled cars.
Critics say Bush's ideas are too modest and focus on solutions that are far from being a reality in the marketplace.
Crude-oil prices broke through $75 a barrel Friday amid concerns about the standoff over Iran's nuclear ambitions, rebel disruptions of oil production in Nigeria, and tight U.S. gasoline supplies. Analysts say they are likely to climb even higher.
Prices at the gas pump also kept rising and were not considered at their peak, with the average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline at $2.855. That's 3 cents higher than a day earlier and more than 60 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA's daily fuel gauge report.
Democratic efforts to score political points by focusing on gas prices have Republicans worried that their majority in Congress could be at risk in the fall midterm elections.
High gas prices were hardly the only problem facing Bush's White House as he embarked on a four-day swing to California and Las Vegas. He was traveling with new chief of staff Joshua Bolten, charged with reinvigorating a White House rocked by public discontent with the Iraq war and a series of missteps ranging from an ill-fated Supreme Court nomination to a bungled response to Hurricane Katrina.
Bush's poll ratings are at their lowest point. Hundreds of protesters called for his resignation near the Cisco compound where he spoke.
Even his trip put the president squarely in the middle of a federal-state dustup.
Bush decided not to grant the pre-emptive federal disaster declaration sought for California's fragile levees by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who faces a tough re-election fight and has had a chilly relationship with Bush. Instead, the president is allowing the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help speed repairs at the state's expense.
Bush seemed aware of the precarious political landscape.
When Bush turned the microphone at Cisco over to Schwarzenegger, the governor said, "First of all, I want to say congratulations."
"For what?" asked the president, appearing genuinely surprised.
The governor, who had discussed the levee issue during a limousine ride with Bush, replied that he was glad to see the president "really paying attention" to the competitiveness issue.
Afterward, Bush talked privately with scholars from Stanford University's Hoover Institution, including former Secretary of State George P. Shultz, a Hoover fellow and early defender of the use of pre-emptive force to deal with Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq.
Plans to hold the meeting at the Hoover Institution were scuttled when protesters blocked Bush's motorcade from going through the only entrance. Shultz, who was already hosting a private dinner for Bush later at his Palo Alto home, had the session moved to his two-story, gray-shingled house.
One reason for a weekend trip with a lot of downtime in beautiful places became clear even before Bush boarded Air Force One to leave Washington. Crew were seen loading two shiny mountain bikes _ one a red-white-and-blue Trek adorned with the presidential seal and "United States of America." With stays scheduled in picturesque Napa Valley and the Palm Springs area, the bikes weren't likely to remain clean for long.
"Tomorrow I'm going to be riding my bike in Napa Valley. I can't wait," Bush told his Cisco audience.
Before returning to Washington Monday night, Bush was making stops to raise money for the national Republican Party, visit with Marines and Navy sailors, and press Congress to break a logjam over the immigration legislation he wants.
If it costs $40 more a week to fill up now versus 2 or 3 years ago, that's an extra $160 a month. If you're an hourly employee, a job that pays just $1 more per hour would (just about) cover the increase in gas.
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Well that would be great if it were only the gas. But increased gas is going to increase the price of everything. And then there's the healthcare cost increases. Seems like Bush was going to do something about the horrific malpractice awards given to (attorney's) _____. Hummm, nope, that was never discussed after he got my vote.
Further proof of the utter failure of our government education.
Well, that's because getting your vote was the point. "Mission Accomplished".
For some reason Bush has capitulated on this subject. I guess we all should get used to it.
You hit it right on the head! I will relay this to the Republicans when they ask for money.
I heard that 75% of the sheeple are upset with Bush because he's not doing enough to curb gas prices. I guess they think our economy is modeled after France's or China's, where the government controls the markets.
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No. But we do expect laws that allow new refineries and drilling. Also, some taxes on gas could be rolled back since we're all squeezed pretty hard. Is that asking too much of our government?
Did anyone actually read a quote from Bush that was similar to this headline?
Why? I like my car.....
No drilling in ANWR - check
No new refineries - check
No energy policy - check
No fuel tax relief - check
No border controls - check
You're free to drive whatever you wish, and undertake whatever cost you wish. Of course, gasoline is hardly the greatest expense involved in driving a car.
Let's see... I live in a rural area and have 3 kids (with a 4th on the way). My mini-van gets 20ish miles to the gallon and my job is 12 miles each way from home. Add in baseball practice & games for the 3 boys 4 nights/week, dropping my step son off at his birth mother's every Saturday, going to the grocery store, pharmacy, etc. and I'm filling up once a week for about $60.
What vehicle do you recommend that is smaller but would still hold my husband and four children in addition to getting me to/from work every day? My husband already drives an 1988 Ford Escort because his job (like so many other people in our area who must commute out of the county for work) is 30 miles each way - but his vehicle will only hold 4 people total - not exactly a "family" car.
Bush is like his father in that he can't or doesn't know how to negociate. Hopefully,congress will have some hearings that may help.
IMO, if something doesn't happen to lower the cost, the crime rate will skyrocket. It is difficult to imagine people already going to pawn shops for extra gas money.
.....and gas prices do not need to be this high. Not with all the assistance we have given Iraq and Kuwait. Crude should be free for about 20 years the way I see it.
And we should tell Fox to give us a barrel of oil for every illegal he sends accross our border.
Again.....Washington has become a fat, lazy slob.
This screams for using this to drill and anwar and approve new refineries.
You think so? I started car pooling to work with two other guys a year ago. We each take a week at a time and between the three of us we use 40 gallons of gas less a week than we used to.
Does that sound like we expect others to solve the problem for us?
We all have different needs based on our lifestyle and family size. Frankly, I'd think gasoline isn't the biggest expense once you've decided to have four kids! :)
Believe me, if something isn't done to protect our borders, I have the papers to register as a Constitution Party member. I've had it.
Except for the part where he's basically right. Sure, we should drill ANWR, but don't be deluded into believing it will significantly affect prices any time soon. The reality is that global demand for gas is spiking, especially in China and India. They were never major players in the last century but they will be in this one. The fact is that there is little a President can do that wouldn't just make things worse (like price controls).
This screams for using this to drill and anwar and approve new refineries.
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Haven't heard it mentioned recently, have you?
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