If we really were living in a dictatorship with Bush as the Lord and master it would be fair to say that he’s to blame for the situation.

But there’s this little thing you might have heard of called the Constitution and it divides the powers between the three branches of government.

If you haven’t heard of the Constitution before, or are unaware of how power is divided let me know and I’ll recommend some remedial reading for you at your grade level.

And John Ryan: Your ignorance is showing again when you said: “Why is it that “conservatives” never seem to want to conserve our national resources”

Would you like me to cite the number of initiatives that President Bush has pushed stressing conservation?

I gave you the link above, but apparently expecting you to be well informed before polluting these comments with your ignorance is too much to ask.

Here’s just one of many examples:

Memorandum
May 3, 2001

MEMORANDUM FOR THE HEADS OF EXECUTIVE DEPARTMENTS AND AGENCIES

SUBJECT: Energy Conservation at Federal Facilities

A key component of my Administration’s overall commitment to make the most economical use of public dollars and to protect the environment is to improve energy conservation at Federal facilities. Further, with possible electricity shortages in California and in the Northeast and Northwest this summer, the Federal Government should set a good example of conservation by reducing its own energy use, particularly in regions where electricity shortages may occur and during periods of peak electricity demand. Such conservation would save public money, protect the environment, and help to minimize shortages.

Therefore, I hereby direct the heads of executive departments and agencies (agencies) to take appropriate actions to conserve energy use at their facilities to the maximum extent consistent with the effective discharge of public responsibilities. Agencies located in regions where electricity shortages are possible should conserve especially during periods of peak demand.

In addition, agencies should review their existing operating and administrative processes and conservation programs and identify and implement ways to reduce such use. Agencies should report to me, through the Secretary of Energy, within 30 days from the date of this memorandum on the conservation actions taken. The agencies shall take these and other appropriate energy conservation actions using existing budget authority.

GEORGE W. BUSH

Note the date: May 2001

Instead of continue with your dumb and blind Bush bashing perhaps you could call your Senators and Represenative and tell them it’s time to work on a bipartisan plan that allows the free market to supply the needs of America’s consumers at a lower price.

But of course you really don’t want that to happen do you?

http://kudlow.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NjMyNDljNTQ5MThjNWE3YTAzYWYzMmZmNDVmMjA0ZWY=

Clowns to the left of me, jokers to the right….. and damn – they vote too!

For some, it’s much too easy and politically convenient to ignore the refusal to allow drilling and new refineries over the past decades… thru both GOP and DNC led Congresses.

Oh, but *wait*… they’ll say we didn’t have $5 gas then, so it’s okay! uh huh… As if the rising demand, and increase in developing countries (a good thing) – weighed against a stagnant and declining petroleum source – wasn’t forseeable. Only to the utterly blind and simplistic single cell mind was this entire scenario not predictable.

In fact, we’ve been warned over and over. It’s been an issue for decades. It’s been ignored for that same length of time.

BOTH parties are guilty…. even if they voted affirmative. Because they never laid out it’s importance to the American public, nor did it in time to prevent this moment from ever happening. Noooo… we had to wait until the sheeeet hit the fan…. giving the enviros just what they want. Force wean us off of oil by making it cost prohibitive.

Then the same dodos who still can’t see the storm thru the rain on their face (read Obama and ilk…) want to charge/tax the public an arm and a leg to develop even less efficient energy sources, then charge us even more $s to use that less efficient energy. This when we’re all struggling with the increases of everything due to fuel/shipping cost hikes.

All the while, this same group can’t even get solar and wind farms built because of their heavy handed bureaucracy, and enviros stepping in at every turn to protect that weed in the desert…. At the same time, they halt any coal or oil with legal lawsuits – plants that could be up and running and provide rapid relief.

Can elected officials truly be this stupid and keep their jobs? Evidently. It just requires an even more stupid electorate to pull the ballot lever for them…. how embarrassing it is to see this nation come to this. Unbelievable.

RANT KEY OFF/

DW: Perhaps you would like to retract that statemement before I post the voting records on the various energy bills which included new drilling in places like ANWR.

Post all you want. Congress had a Republican majority for years and years and the job you want didn’t get done, while the Democrats have been in a majority for a year and a half. How that translates into the problem being caused by Democrats is something that perhaps only you can understand. I’ll retract nothing, thank you very much.

Adding, a couple of weeks ago Eric Bolling did a few interviews on several FOX programs. He said he contacted drilling companies to find out how long it would take to recover and produce oil. The answer ranged from 1 year to no longer than six. Dispells the 10 year myth.

Today in Ed Laskey’s column I see more interesting information to share:

http://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2008/07/how_wrong_are_the_democrats_on.html

It has been the policy of the Democrats in congress, whether in minority or majority, to oppose nearly every measure that would expand domestic production of oil.

It’s a shame that [Republican] Congress didn’t listen.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/energy/archive.html

Page down to the bottom of that archive to early 2001 and you’ll see that he began touching on many of the same themes he is repeating today, INCLUDING CONSERVATION.

It’s a shame that Congress didn’t listen. But, contrary to what some libs think, we are not living in a dictatorship and President Bush can only do so much with Executive Orders and speeches.

The most important thing is that every barrel of oil that we can produce ourselves will reduce the amount of money we have to send overseas, often to countries who love the idea of using our own money to hurt us. Right now, we are sending some $60 Billion PER MONTH to countries like Venezuela and Saudi Arabia. Remember that their production costs are less than $10 per barrel.

Increasing our own production will reduce our trade deficit, which will increase the value of the dollar, which will reduce the price of oil some more, as well as make our capital markets more attractive to foreign investment (boosting the stock market and our overall economic growth).

So drilling now should be a no-brainer.