I don't mind it so much when Republicans lie about the Keystone XL project. We expect Republicans to lie. It's what they do. If they told the truth about who they are and what they want to do, nobody would vote for them.
So, when Republicans lie about the Keystone Pipeline project saying that if Obama would just approve it we would have lower gas prices but now that he hasn't approved it all those juicy oil sands from Canada are just going to go to China, that's nothing new. That's a "dog bites man" story.
"Republicans lie about national issue."
Put that next to "sun comes up again this morning" in the headlines.
But when a journalist who knows better lies about it, that gets my hackles up.
Luke Russert just chatted with CNBC's Ron Insana about the rising price of gasoline and how this will spell certain doom for Obama in November because we all think that Rick Santorum can provide all the lubrication we need, or that Mitt Romney can just squeeze enough out of his hair to fill up the reserves.
"Well, one way Obama could fix this problem immediately is to approve the Keystone Pipeline project so we get that oil instead of sending it to China," Insana said. Russert just grinned and nodded.
Dolts. Liars! Those oil sands were never meant to be added to the American gas tank.
The reason they want the pipeline to go cross continent to the Gulf Coast is to get it to refineries that can load the processed oil on to ships and sell it to China! It's going to China anyway! If Obama suddenly changed his mind and the pipeline was built tomorrow, it not only would not lower your gas prices, it would raise them!
FACT: The Keystone XL pipeline is designed for one thing—to send oil from Canada to the Texas Gulf coast, and from there to overseas markets. According to retired Brigadier General Steven M. Anderson (the US Army’s senior logistician in Iraq from 2006-2007), the pipeline “would set back our renewable energy efforts for at least two decades, much to our enemies’ delight. It would ensure we maintain our oil addiction and delay making the tough decisions regarding energy production, management and conservation that we need to start making today.” And as Anderson makes clear, “Canadian oil won’t replace imports from hostile countries because Texas refiners are serving global demand rather than domestic need.”
"Drill baby, drill" makes for a great bumper sticker. Most Republican solutions to complex problems make great bumper stickers. They just make terrible policy. They make things more expensive. They make the air dirtier. They pollute the water. They make rich people richer. The middle class and those living in poverty get no benefit whatsoever. But the bumper sticker industry (made in China?) is booming!
So, like I said, lie to us all you want to, Republicans. We know you for what you are.
But Luke, your daddy. the late Tim Russert, would smack you right on the forehead for letting Ron Insana get away with telling that lie without challenging it.
Shame on you, Luke Russert. You were raised better than that.