The Huffington Post's Weekly Digest -- 4.28.06

April 29, 2006

Fri, 28 Apr 2006 22:55:58 -0700

" Arianna Huffington " <arianna

The Huffington Post

http://www.huffingtonpost.com

April 29, 2006

Arianna Huffington

George Bush: Foreign Policy from God, Energy Policy from Big Oil

READ MORE: Dick Cheney, 2006, Earnings, Good Morning America, Andy

Card, Scott McClellan, Saddam Hussein, Investigations, George W. Bush

Apr. 25 -- The president may turn to God when it comes to shaping his

foreign policy, but his energy policy is strictly courtesy of the Men

Upstairs at Big Oil.

Which is why it is beyond comical to watch Moe, Curly, and Larry --

sorry, I mean Bush, Hastert, and Frist -- getting all blue in the face

about skyrocketing gas prices, and calling on the Energy and Justice

Departments to look into possible market manipulation by oil companies.

It's the least believable call for an investigation since O.J. set out

to find the real killers.

For those of you experiencing a sudden wave of déjà vu, yes, the GOP

demand for a federal probe of potential oil industry price-gouging was

a carbon copy of the demands Chuck Schumer made last week. Hey, maybe

they just unconsciously " internalized " Schumer's words.

If it wasn't so despicable it would be laughable.

There was Frist on Good Morning America today, putting aside his video

diagnostic skills to become one of the " Car Talk " guys. Among Frist's

helpful money saving tips for drivers forced to consider taking out a

second mortgage in order to fill up their tanks: get a tuneup, drive

slower, and carpool. Thanks, Dr. Goodwrench!

But Frist was just the gassy second banana. The clear headliner was

Bush, who had them rolling in the aisles at a meeting of the Renewable

Fuels Association, with zingers like his claim that " large cash flows "

mean that " these energy companies don't need unnecessary tax breaks " .

A sentiment that didn't stop the president from signing a GOP energy

bill stuffed with some $14.5 billion in tax breaks, tax subsidies, and

tax deductions for his cash-rich energy industry chums. I guess those

tax breaks were " necessary. "

Bush also scored big with his impression of a guy who cares about

conservation, highlighting the need to " promote greater fuel

efficiency " : " And the easiest way to promote fuel efficiency, " said

the president, " is to encourage drivers to purchase highly efficient

hybrid or clean diesel vehicles. " As the proud owner of a pair of

hybrids, I say " hear, hear. " As a sentient human being I say, " Isn't

this the same guy whose administration hasn't increased fuel

efficiency standards for passengers cars even a single m.p.g. in six

years? " Maybe now that former GM-lobbyist (and fuel efficiency

opponent) Andy Card has left the White House, Bush has finally allowed

his inner-Prius owner to run free. Or maybe the lure of touting

vehicles that can run on alternative energy sources to an alternative

energy trade association was just too hard to resist.

How gullible do they think we are? Memo to the White House: it's not

working. Bush's approval rating just dropped to 32% -- a number at

which both water and political clout freeze.

All this huffing and puffing about manipulated markets and record gas

prices scream of a blatant attempt to inoculate Republicans from

consumer rage over the massive earnings oil companies are scheduled to

announce this week. Industry analysts predict that ExxonMobil will

report first-quarter earnings of only $9.1 billion on Thursday -- down

from the record $10.7 billion posted in the fourth quarter of 2005.

With profits like that, Lee Raymond's $400 retirement package is

starting to look a little stingy. Except to those paying through the

nose at the pump.

The most honest comment on the gas price crisis came from Scott

McClellan (freedom's just another word for nothing left to lose, eh,

Scottie?) who said: " This is not something we got into overnight. "

Exactly. These levels of oil company profits took years of careful

lobbying and planning to orchestrate.

Our oil-man president may want us to think that he's shocked, shocked

by the " large cash flows " of the oil companies, and the sticker shock

drivers are experiencing at the pump, but even before Team Bush was

dreaming of toppling Saddam, it was laying the groundwork for the

gargantuan windfall the oil industry is seeing -- starting with Dick

Cheney's secret Energy Task Force.

It's not a coincidence that the oil and gas industries donated over

$25 million to Congressional campaigns in 2004 (with 80% of that money

going into Republican coffers), and another $7.2 million so far in the

2006 cycle (with 84% going to the GOP). They also doled out over $4.5

million to Bush's 2000 and 2004 presidential runs.

And what did they get for their largess? According to Public Citizen,

the top five oil companies have pocketed over a quarter of trillion

(that's with a " T " ) in profits since Bush took office. Talk about a

return on investment. That's a gusher!

So for American consumers, payback is a bitch. And three bucks a

gallon at the gas pump. The Bush administration has turned the White

House into a full service filling station for Big Oil. And we're the

ones being forced to pick up the tab.

So don't let the empty rhetoric and the phony outrage pouring out of

the White House and the Republican Congress fool you: America isn't

facing a shortage of fuel; it's facing a shortage of leadership.

OTHER HUFF POST BLOGGERS: Juliet Eilperin, Eric Boehlert, Michael

Smerconish, Raymond J. Learsy, Shayana Kadidal, Dr. Peter Rost, Jesse

Kornbluth, All Bloggers

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The Huffington Post's Weekly Digest -- 4.28.06

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