Tut, Tut!: These are the same poor Senators who:

a) Do not allow oil drilling on the Alaskan North Slope
or in ANWAR (Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge)

b) Do not allow drilling in the Eastern Gulf of Mexico,
near Florida

c) Do not allow drilling off the California coast

d) Exclude 40% of BLM (Bureau of Land Management) lands
from oil or gas exploration, while maintaining govt.
ownership of 60% of the land in the West, 99% in
Alaska

e) Do not support or oppose nuclear power

f) Gutted nuclear fusion R & D

g) Similar “geniuses” enacted California state law
forbidding nuclear plant construction in California

h) All of the above forced and cheered by the
environmentalist movement.

As a result of the above (surprise!), we are “short”
of energy & oil. I am a “dumb rocket engineer”, but
even I can “forecast”: $150 / barrel in 2 months,
$200 / barrel in 6 months, $300 in 2 years….

Here is another “forecast”: in view of the entrenched
mutually supportive environmentalist, oil & coal
interests in this country, it will take us at least 5-20
years to “get our act together” on energy. We have
failed for the last 30. It will require “retiring” 1/2
- 2/3 of the current Congress.

This, in turn, will require that our citizens “get a
belly full” of ever higher energy & resource prices.

By the way, a viable “energy infrastructure” is the
“bedrock” foundation for manufacturing, transportation,
the economy, and high-paying jobs. All the tap
dancing with money supply, interest rates and govt.
guarrantees is just “smoke and mirrors”. Even a “six
pack beer drinking rocket engineer”, unlike Congressmen
or Senators, can figure that out.

So “Good luck” America. Enjoy the show!

Perhaps they should be called “the Senators from OPEC?”.

Regards, Art Collins,
Retired Nuclear & Aerospace (Rocket) Engineer

The record on cleanng up oil spillages also has glaring holes of non-compliance to agreements, which are reduced, ignored, or forgiven..

When there is no trust, compromise becomes too hard .

Which brings up an interesting point… Bush asked the Saudis to increase production to help the American public. But the Saudis rebuked him. Obviously Bush knows that the Saudis (if they had increased production) could not have influenced the prices. So really all Bush was doing when he asked the Saudis to increase production to help the American economy was the appearance of doing something. Bush and his energy buddies are all quite happy to be raking in the money due to high oil prices.

But when the Saudis rebuked Bush, he could play the “victim” and say he “tried” to do something about the high prices but the Saudis refused.

Bush really needs to come up with real solutions to our problems rather than play these sorts of games that accomplish nothing other than cause divisions. That's why he loves to attack the Dems- he wants to appear to be doing something, but it's always someone else's fault that nothing gets done. Just to be clear, the Dems don't help matters along very much, but the way they've been treated, especially when they were a minority in Congress contributed to their feelings of ill will. Not that I'm excusing it…. just pointing out the reality (at least that's how I frame it in my own mind).

We need to invest in alternative sources of energy instead of whining about lost battles and finger-pointing.

Then he opens his mouth, again…..

The man just doesn't get that he represents ALL of America when he speaks in foreign lands, Every time he washes his political dirty laundry on a foreign stage, he cheapens America's image I call that unpatriotic, and no lapel pin or posing with soldiers can make up for it. He demeans the country and he demeans the office of the POTUS.

I often disagree with what the Dems in Congress try to do. i see, however, how Bush inspires the worst bulldog instincts in those who disagree with him, at home or abraod. He doesn't talk to Congress; he issues orders. He doesn't understand how his lack of respect, his disdain, inspires rebellion instead of a reasoned response..

I often wonder how our conflict with Iran might have turned out if people who understand human dynamics had written his speeches.

Iit's very important that the next POTIS bring dignity back to the office and to the face of America abroad. On that score, Obama seems best qualified., by far.