Dem. Chairman Blames Bush for Gas Prices

[emad]

Tuesday May 18, 2004 1:46 PM


By WILL LESTER

Associated Press Writer

<snip>

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe says the Bush administration is ``in the pocket of big oil'' and isn't doing enough to hold down fast-rising gasoline prices.

``The price of gas is up about 50 cents a gallon since George Bush took office,'' McAuliffe said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday to the Democratic National Committee. ``Already that translates to an extra $499 a year for the average American household.''

As part of a coordinated focus by Democrats on the issue, McAuliffe said the threat posed by rising gas prices should have brought an aggressive response from the Bush administration, ``but George Bush hasn't lifted a finger.''

McAuliffe asserted that Bush has not worked for clean, renewable energy that would reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports because Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials have long-standing ties to the industry.
More:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4103851,00.html

[freetobegay]

1. Guess where all those tax frefund checks are going!

[wicket]

3. refund???

I wish! I ended up oweing money this year, for the first time ever! Thanks George Bush!!!! :eyes:

[wicket]

2. remember Bush's campaign promise?

Bush said back when he was campaigning in 2000 that he would press OPEC to keep oil prices low. He has done just the opposite. Another Bush flip flop!

[shanti]

10. really now

we should call them what they are. they're not flip flops, they're LIES!

[shanti]

11. DUPE

SORRY

[freetobegay]

4. Gasoline surges under Bush following refinery mergers

President Bush allowed an increase in oil refinery mergers to go unchecked since he took office and may have contributed to the highest gasoline prices in 20 years as the November election approaches.

The Bush administration approved 33 takeovers totaling $19.5 billion, on top of 21 deals worth $7.3 billion under President Clinton, Bloomberg data shows. Reduced supplies were already pushing up gas prices in Clinton's term, according to a Federal Trade Commission study conducted after pump prices rose to more than $2 a gallon in Milwaukee and Chicago in 2000.

"We're in a much worse position than we were when the federal government broke up the Rockefeller oil companies of the early 1900s," Jon Meade Huntsman, a registered Republican and founder of Salt Lake City-based Huntsman Co., the largest privately held chemicals maker, said in an interview. "The average guy on the street is getting killed because this administration does not care."

Americans are paying 30 percent more for regular gasoline than a year ago, an average of $1.94 a gallon, and a poll by American Research Group May 3-6 showed voters becoming concerned. Oil futures have averaged $28.62 a barrel since Bush took office, 42 percent higher than the average during Clinton's two terms. Oil reached a record $41.38 a barrel on Friday.

http://www.azcentral.com/business/articles/0517gasoline-price17-ON.html

[Tandalayo_Scheisskopf]

5. Remember:

The maladministration is filling the strategic Oil Reserves at a rate and amount with no historical precident. They are filling salt domes that have never seen a drop of oil in their lives.

The net effect of this is to pull oil off the open markets, thus raising prices steeply. The further effect of this can be found by perusing the incredible winfall profits being made by oil companies in recent past quarters.

Only a moron would think not think that this is a well-strategized plan to pump money into an industry that, since deregulation, has screwed up mightily and put itself into quite the hole.

God, we must get these criminals out of office and into RICO trials.

[nodictators]

12. Sell Low, Buy High

That seems to be the Bu$h mismanagement policy for the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. Bu$h reportedly sold oil from the Reserve when oil prices were much lower. Now Bu$h is buying huge amounts of oil for the Reserve when prices are at historic highs.

Bu$h is happily squandering our tax money and putting in the pockets of Big Oil.

Some might call Bu$h's policy STEALING.

[Just Me]

15. The neocons are filling the reserves in anticipation of their WWIII.n/t

[Ganja Ninja]

6. I'm waiting for the democrats to use the "mission accomplished" ...

banner over a picture of a gas station sign with all the prices exceeding $2.00 a gallon. I think that would pretty much say it all.

[Barkley]

8. Good One Sentinel Chicken

You put a smile of my face this morning!
Thanks

[Supormom]

7. But, but, but ...

I was flipping channels this morning and heard a bush* apologist on CNBC state that higher gas prices were an indication that the economy was recovering.

[gratuitous]

9. There you go!

Place the blame for this squarely where it belongs: On two Texas oilmen squatting in the White House. Where did people think gasoline prices were going to go when they handed the keys to the Treasury over to the oil companies?

Now we have soldiers dying all over the planet for no apparent reason, people cowering in their homes and being told to buy plastic sheeting and duct tape, and gas is over two bucks a gallon.

But you'd feel comfortable having a beer with Stupidhead (at least that's what teevee says), so it must all be okay.

[dArKeR]

13. Dems' chairman: Bush in big oil's pocket - MSGOP

The Associated Press
Updated: 10:38 a.m. ET May 18, 2004

WASHINGTON - Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe says the Bush administration is “in the pocket of big oil” and isn’t doing enough to hold down fast-rising gasoline prices.

“The price of gas is up about 50 cents a gallon since George Bush took office,” McAuliffe said in remarks prepared for delivery Tuesday to the Democratic National Committee. “Already that translates to an extra $499 a year for the average American household.”

As part of a coordinated focus by Democrats on the issue, McAuliffe said the threat posed by rising gas prices should have brought an aggressive response from the Bush administration, “but George Bush hasn’t lifted a finger.”

McAuliffe asserted that Bush has not worked for clean, renewable energy that would reduce U.S. dependence on oil imports because Bush, Vice President Dick Cheney and other administration officials have long-standing ties to the industry.

“They’re so deep in the pocket of big oil we’ll need to drill down to find them,” McAuliffe said.

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/5004520/

[74dodgedart]

14. I remember Bush saying that he would tell OPEC to "Open those spigots"

during his campaign. There must be a video clip of this somewhere.

Why can't a Republican president get his energy policy through a Republican congress ?

[Bandit]

16. I wonder if the oil industry has been profitable the first part of this ye

:shrug: can you say record profits?