HANSON: Drilling is a win, win choice for U.S. - Washington Times

HANSON: Drilling is a win, win choice for U.S. - Washington Times

When the summer driving season starts soon, and tension heats up about Iran, gas may reach $5 a gallon. Nothing bothers voters more than paying an extra $20 or $30 every time they fill up. In times like these, they soon might prefer even an oilman in the White House to an ideologue whose opposition to new oil development seems more religious than empirically based.

All presidents, of course, usually get the blame when the price of gas skyrockets and praise when it plummets, just like they own a bad or good economy, or a successful or failed war.

Presidents can affect gas prices, at least in the long term, by exercising budgetary discipline resulting in a currency that buys more oil per dollar, by approving or rejecting federal oil leases, and by adding or curbing regulations that affect oil exploration and development. In all of these cases, Mr. Obama has supported policies that contribute to higher gas prices.

Newspeak, CAT, and the Porkulus

From my world:

President Barack Obama's stimulus plan may be good for Caterpillar Inc., but the company's chief executive says the equipment maker will probably have to lay off more staff before it starts thinking about rehiring any of the more than 22,000 employees it already plans to cut.

Even if a stimulus plan passes, it likely will not have an effect on the economy until late this year or early 2010, CEO Jim Owens said after a town hall meeting with the president and Caterpillar (nyse: CAT) workers at a company tractor plant here on Thursday."The reality is we'll probably have to have more layoffs before we can start hiring again," Owens said without elaborating on timing or specific numbers.

Owens seemed to back away from Obama's assertion that the Caterpillar CEO had promised him he would rehire some of the laid-off workers if Congress approves a sweeping stimulus bill. The company has struggled with lower demand amid the global economic downturn.

The severity and swiftness of the recession, Owens said, makes adding jobs back quickly unrealistic."We literally (went from) a three-year order backlog coming into November to now having order cancellations to the point where we cannot run at capacity," he said.

When asked to explain the difference between Obama's and Owens' statements, Caterpillar spokesman Jim Dugan said, "perhaps there's some nuance."

Nuance?? Sounds to me like The Chosen One (may peace be upon him) has been reading Orwell's 1984 and is learning the fine art of "newspeak" or "I know you think you heard what I meant to say, but what I said is not what you heard."

The attempt by Jake Tapper (God Bless this man's patience) to get clarification from "Bagdhad" Bob Gibbs on the conflicting statements from CAT's CEO and the Chosen One (may peace be upon him), was akin to watching a comedy skit by Abbot and Costello: "Who's on first." "What?" "What's on second."

Now comes the report that an Illinois congressman was instructed to seek out positive consituent feedback on the "Bill to End Democracy and Implement Socialism in Our Lifetime."

How'd that work out?

NOT TOO GOOD!!!!!!!!

Seems the congressman got over 1400 repsonses urging him to vote NO on the "Bill to End Democracy and Implement Socialism in Our Lifetime."

Dhimmis Once Again Show True Colors

Editor's Note: House Democrats can ethically include hundreds of millions in the stimulus for ACORN and the dissemination of condoms but can't find it acceptable to name a bridge or a public works facility after someone who died providing defense of liberty? What does that tell us about their feelings about liberty??

Democrats Kill Bill that Honored Troops
S.A. Miller,
The Washington Times

House Democrats blocked a measure that would have required new roads, bridges and schools funded by the $825 billion economic stimulus to be named after US armed forces members killed in action. Democrats on the House Rules Committee nixed the amendment Tuesday in a party-line 9-3 vote. The same vote also took down four other Republican amendments that would have funded job training for veterans, stopping all the measures from being considered Wednesday by the full House for inclusion in the stimulus.

"For whatever reason, it was not to their liking," said Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Michigan Republican, sponsor of the amendment that would have honored fallen troops.