Why Can't Bush behave like a real President for a Change -- this time about oil?

Question

By Fred Conrad Thomas Friedman

Published: June 22, 2008

Two years ago, President Bush declared that America was “addicted to oil,” and, by gosh, he was going to do something about it. Well, now he has. Now we have the new Bush energy plan: “Get more addicted to oil.”

Actually, it’s more sophisticated than that:

Get Saudi Arabia, our chief oil pusher, to up our dosage for a little while and bring down the oil price just enough so the renewable energy alternatives can’t totally take off.

Then try to strong arm Congress into lifting the ban on drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

People forget, wind and solar power are here, they work, they can go on your roof tomorrow.

Bush should give the US a big strategic plan to end our addiction to oil and build a bipartisan coalition to deliver it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/06/22/opinion/22friedman.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

Has America forgotten what a real President would do?

No rants

Answer 1

he dont care anything about the US people... only himself.. Thank goodness hes almost out..but wonder how much damage hes gonna do before he leaves office....hes evil, deceitful and one of the biggest liars ever....

Answer 2

You tell us. Actually, you haven't established that this is not what a "real" President would do, but have assumed, from the characterization of a political column, that whatever Bush has done is antithetical to whatever some undefined yet idealized hypothetical President might do. Fascinating.

Answer 3

It takes all those things, drilling for more oil is just part of it, and it makes common sense.

Democrats would have us live in the stone age. No Thank You I don't want that, and neither do most Americans with a brain. Their approach would kill our economy as dead as a door nail.

Answer 4

If alternatives can't come on line -w- gas prices low. Than the alternatives are too high and not yet economically feasible.

Lower cost wins. Capitalism at its best.

Answer 5

You should expand you reading a little. Save our Farms? Our farmers are dependent on oil and if Liberals hadn't blocked Bush's Energy policies that would have helped America become energy independent, we wouldn't be in the shape we are today. There is a wealth of information out there so don't just believe the first thing you read or hear. Take time to research it before you form an opinion. Everyone would be much better off if they would.

Answer 6

Do we want a president or a dictator? Congress has the real power, so we should blame them. The president can't really do much without congress, as we've seen.

Answer 7

Remember that the President is supposed to do the will of the people and in this case the people want OIL and the want it NOW!  The demorats sure haven't provided this alternatives they keep preaching about have they even when their golden boy, Jimmy Carter, pushed for it in the 70's?

Answer 8

HE IS A WASTE OF HUMANITY!!!

Answer 9

Let's just hope Obama wins.  Then with a democratic congress that vacillates between obstructing drilling for oil and nationalizing, we can have a deep, honest to god, recession.

Then when unemployment and inflation both pass 10% you can choke on what you desire.  

There are not enough solar panels or turbines to go on a fraction of the houses in the country.  There are no proven hydrogen or plug in cars.  There is no hydrogen delivery network.  The electrical grid would not be able to handle plug in cars if they were available.

Even if all of these things were available there would still be a huge demand for oil to maintain the current fleet as it transitioned out.  Doing nothing positive about improving the oil supply is assinine.

Please oh Please let Obama win.  The people will turn against him and the head in the sand democratic congress.  In two years there would be a big purge of congress and in 4 the republicans would have the white house.  

Those of us who have been here before would be reminded how stupid democrats can be and the newbies to the process would get their first taste.  I'm with you, go Obama.

fs

Answer 10

yes i think all those things are great ideas but it bugs me when people nag on bush, i personally dont like him too much but i have respect for him i mean i dont think anyone that bashes him could really do it themselves

Answer 11

the time of real presidents is long over

he doesnt want to change the situation with oil

he is from an oil company...

Answer 12

A real president doesn't have the power to make law. So all real presidents can do, is make suggestions and offer ideas and that is what he has done.

We should have been drilling for new oil since the 1970's oil embargo. For those too young to remember, the line at gas stations sometimes took 6-8 hours to get to the pump and fill your tank.

Answer 13

he dosn"t care , he"s done!