BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Lots of talk about the rising cost of a gallon of gas has forced the candidates to take a stand on offshore drilling.  Needless to say, as with the other issues, the Republican nominee and the Democratic nominee have diametrically opposing positions.

McCain wants to drill all around our nation’s coastline.  Obama does not.  And, oh!  By the way, Bush came out today in favor of lifting the moratorium on offshore drilling.  Well, as soon as the Decider spoke I stopped listening to the dialogue between McCain and Obama.  Perhaps, based on the last seven and a half years, I have decided that Bush has been so wrong about so many issues that I couldn’t expect him to be right about this. 

So, let’s clear the decks before we get to the candidates.  As we recall, the President has made a trip or two to Saudi Arabia in the past few months, each time begging the Saudis to save our failing economy by increasing oil production, hence, lowering the price we pay at the pump.  That didn’t work either time so today he decided to try to shift our plight onto the shoulders of Congress.  According to Bush:

“I know the Democratic leaders have opposed some of these policies in the past,” Mr. Bush said. “Now that their opposition has helped drive gas prices to record levels, I ask them to reconsider their positions. If Congressional leaders leave for the Fourth of July recess without taking action, they will need to explain why $4-a-gallon gasoline is not enough incentive for them to act.”

There’s not much to say about that, I suppose.  For seven and a half years, Cheney’s energy program has been good enough.  Now, as the crunch squeezes all our pocketbooks all the blame is shifted to Congress.  In all fairness, Congress has done nothing to help the situation.  But, let’s not pass the buck.  Remember, it stops on the Presidential desk on this one… or the Vice Presidential desk. 

I remember a reporter saying to the President in a Rose Garden press conference that gas would be at $4.00 a gallon by summer.  The President responded that he hadn’t heard that.  Well, Friday is the first day of summer and gas is at $4.00 a gallon across the country.  We have to wonder if Bush is even aware of the real world the rest of us live in. 

Bush will be gone in January so anything he thinks or does on this issue will be of little consequence.

That brings us to John McCain.  McCain, after being taunted for his gas tax holiday idea, has decided that offshore drilling is the answer for our energy needs.  When he last ran for the office of President he was against the offshore drilling.  Of course, it is eight years later and it seems that he has changed his mind.

Barack Obama is against offshore drilling, saying that it would in essence be too little too late.  And, offshore drilling won’t do a thing to help us today.

Should we drill offshore or not?

“If we were to drill today, realistically speaking, we should not expect a barrel of oil coming out of this new resource for three years, maybe even five years, so let’s not kid ourselves,” said Fadel Gheit, oil and gas analyst with Oppenheimer & Co. Equity Capital Markets Division.

And,

Candida Scott, an oil industry researcher at Cambridge Research Associates, said oil needs to be priced at $60 a barrel or more to justify deep-shelf drilling. With oil now selling for $134 a barrel, companies are almost assured of profiting from offshore drilling, Scott said.

I’m not exactly a mental giant when it comes to this offshore drilling question, but it seems to me that what the “experts” are saying is that to drill would be profitable at today’s prices to whoever does the drilling and it wouldn’t benefit you or me for five or more years.  So, I guess I’m left to wonder if the drilling is to make another one of the Bush Buddies richer or if I can wait five years to fill up the tank again. 

McCain spoke to the situation saying

“In the short term, this requires more domestic production, especially in the Outer Continental Shelf. We need to encourage production in ways that are consistent with sensible standards of environmental protection. And in states that permit exploration, there must be a sharing of benefits between state and federal governments. But as a matter of fairness to the American people, we must assure affordable fuel for America by increasing domestic production,” the presumed Republican presidential nominee said.

Short term?  Maybe in McCain years.

Democrats spoke from the other side of the fence.

“After eight years, President Bush and [Vice President] Dick Cheney have turned the GOP into the Gas and Oil Party. That’s the legacy that they are going to leave,” said Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, chairman of the House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming.

“The White House has become a ventriloquist for the oil and gas industry, repeating the requests of the oil and gas industry: that they be allowed to destroy the most pristine areas of our country,” Markey added.

And, Congress is coming into the fray.

Congressional Democrats introduced a bill last week to compel oil companies to begin utilizing federal land they already lease.

“Oil companies are sitting on 68 million acres they have already leased from the American people for the purpose of oil and natural gas production,” said Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey.

“It is about time they use these resources already at their disposal instead of waiting for more federal handouts and pushing to drill in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge or up and down our coasts,” he added.

With 68 million acres already leased for oil and gas production, I have to wonder if this offshore drilling idea is Bush’s last push to set up the Bush Buddies before leaving office.  It seems as if we have some greedy children who don’t want to play with the toys they have, but just want all the toys.  Something smells… and it’s not oil.

From the Obama campaign

According to his campaign, presumptive Democratic nominee Barack Obama wants to invest $150 billion over the next 10 years to establish a green energy sector, create a national low-carbon fuel standard to ensure that the fuel is more efficient, and invest in clean energies like solar, wind and biodiesel.

I’m for green energy.  I like the idea of a national low-carbon fuel standard.  I like the idea of clean energies like solar, wind and biodiesel.

But, the real truth is that like the truckers in Belgium, UK, France and all across the world, we want to see something done that will help us this month, next month, in 2009.  The world economies have all but run out of gas, now our cars are about to be on empty too.  There is no solution in sight from either party for the immediate times or the near future. 

It’s time to conserve and take a closer look at mass transit.  Perhaps, I’ll take the bus to work tomorrow.