Bush, in the
LA Times:
"I wish I could just wave a magic wand and lower the price at the pump," he said in a speech. "That's not how it works. You see, the high prices we face today have been decades in the making."
True, in that, as a nation, we've been gobbling oil like its an inexhaustable supply (wait, you mean it isn't?) for decades. That said, Mr Bush, you've had 5 years to try and lead us into some form of common sense energy policy. But you haven't.
You could have, for example, worked to increase mileage standards in automobiles. A hugely effective measure that wouldn't cost the US taxpayers a dime. But you didn't.
You could have rescinded the tax break on Hummers, and increased the tax credit for buying hybrids. But you didn't.
You could have put significant money into researching renewable fuels, like Bio-Diesel that you are promoting-but-not-funding today. But you aren't (to any sort of effective degree)
You could put money into expanding public transportation and rail options nationwide. But you didn't.
So, Mr Bush, when you try to pass the buck on current high energy prices to previous administrations, yes, they could have done something too. But you know what? You're the president now.
If peak oil hits in 2005-2007, as some have suggested, and energy prices go through the roof, Americans will look at Bush and say "You knew this was coming? So what the hell have you been doing for the past 8 years?"
And they'll slap Team Bush and their syncophants out of office so hard they'll wish they never left their cushy oil jobs.
It'll be a small consolation, though.
Crossposted from Everything, All at Once, Forever