Dark Bilious Vapors

Fareed Zakaria has written a piece focusing on the current oil crisis with a rant 'n' rave against SUV's (in Newsweek) but how can there be any political will or public will to effect meaningful changes absent the encouragement of those in charge of our energy policy? We have what can only be labled "Two Foxes in the Oil hen House" in a Dumbya/Darth administration.

The Dumbya/Darth Big Oil company connections, the Halliburton contracts, the pipeline in Afghanistan and the personal relationship with the Saudi Royal family are no speculation. Further, it the reason there is no hope of any meaningful policies from a Dumbya/Darth admin to reduce our National dependence on foreign oil or offer meaningful choices to consumers that don't include remaining hostage to these issues for the foreseeable future.

These rising oil prices, the Iraq war, the Afghanistan pipeline, Halliburton's contracts in rebuilding oil pipelines in Iraq -- they all tie in to this point:

Whether anyone can really believe that "Oil Man" Dumbya and "Oil Man/Halliburton Man" Darth have done anything since 9/11 to significantly reduce (not protect, coddle, rebuild, re-engineer, or kowtowing to Saudi Arabia and OPEC) our dependence, as a nation, on foreign imported oil.

Where, since it was clearly recognized at the time of 9/11 that much of our response to the OPEC producing nations and Saudi Arabia (where 15 of the highjackers were from) had to be tempered (hampered?) by the touchy relationships and this dependence on foreign oil, has the Dumbya/Darth administration made any moves to fundamentally change that picture?

It's been four years, yet I'm still not offered a suitable, cost effective vehicle that doesn't guzzle gasoline at ever increasing prices?? I already own a small mini-van sized vehicle. It runs on a 6-cylinder car engine and I can at least load my family safely, bucked into seats. It gets about as good a gas mileage as most vehicle; fuel efficient hybrids excluded.

But this IS my point: Where IS the fuel efficient hybrid Mini-Van??? A vehicle that all five of us can FIT into? I’ve been in a Prius™ - I’m not even sure we could shoe-horn my 6’6” hubby into a Prius™, let alone fit five of us. There simply hasn't been any meaningful choice to me as a consumer/driver except don't buy gas and don't drive far. Great Conservation strategy- NOT.

Where are the Dumbya/Darth incentives for these changes? Alternative fuels? Mileage efficient cars? Effective hybrid vehicles? All the efforts of this administration reveals a commitment to protecting, coddling, rebuilding, re-engineering and continuing the fatal tango with Saudi Arabia and OPEC; not fundamentally changing the picture.

And; Here's the accountability part, who benefits long term from this failure to invest in changing this picture? And who can believe Dumbya/Darth, both with ties to big oil companies and personal ties to Saudi Royals, have a whiff of an inclination to go against these personal interests to effect any meaningful change. At every push, shove and corner these men refuse to pursue any goals but those that enrich their friends and cohorts in this oil dependence business.

It would be one thing to acknowledge the need to maintain some consistent supplies of oil for our markets during a transition phase to making changes…but I can't point to one, even one area where the Dumbya/Darth administration has ever made even a hint at working on areas to transition out of this dependency.

Can you point to one? If they haven't done it in four years, if they haven't done it since 9/11, if they haven't done it since oil prices are going through the roof (and are predicted to increase seriously in the next 5-10 years depending on which analyst is believed) what makes anyone think they'd do it over the next three years? And who'd believe they'd do it given the money to be made for them and their cohorts and business associates; these Two Foxes in the Oil Hen House.

Karen on 08.24.05 @ 09:41 AM CST