Published on FOXNews.com on June 18, 2008.
John McCain has drawn first blood in the political debate following Barack Obama’s victory in the primaries. His call yesterday for offshore oil drilling — and Bush’s decision to press the issue in Congress - puts the Democrats in the position of advocating the wear-your-sweater policies that made Jimmy Carter unpopular.
With gas prices nearing $5, all of the previous shibboleths need to be discarded. Where once voters in swing states like Florida opposed offshore drilling, the high gas prices are prompting them to reconsider. McCain’s argument that even hurricane Katrina did not cause any oil spills from the offshore rigs in the Gulf of Mexico certainly will go far to allay the fears of the average voter.
For decades, Americans have dragged their feet when it comes to switching their cars, leaving their SUVs at home, and backing alternative energy development and new oil drilling. But the recent shock of a massive surge in oil and gasoline prices has awakened the nation from its complaisance. The soaring prices are the equivalent of Pearl Harbor in jolting us out of our trance when it comes to energy.
Suddenly, everything is on the table. Offshore drilling, Alaska drilling, nuclear power, wind, solar, flex-fuel cars, plug-in cars are all increasingly attractive options and John McCain seems alive to the need to go there while Obama is strangely passive. During the Democratic primary, he opposed a gas tax holiday and continues to be against offshore and Alaska drilling and squishy on nuclear power. That leaves turning down your thermostat and walking to work as the Democratic policies.
McCain has also been ratcheting up his attacks on oil speculators. With the total value of trades in oil futures soaring from $13 billion in 2003 to $260 billion today, it is increasingly clear that it is not the supply and demand for oil which is, alone, driving up the price, but it is the supply and demand for oil futures which is stoking the upward movement.
The Saudis have made a fatal mistake in not forcing down the price of oil. We could have gone for decades as their hostage, letting their control over our oil supplies choke us while enriching them. But they got greedy and let the price skyrocket. The sudden shock which has sent America reeling is just the stimulus we need for a massive movement away from imported oil and toward new types of cars.
The political will for major change in our energy policy is now here and those, like Obama, who don’t get it need to rethink their positions. To quote FDR, “this great nation calls for action and action now” on the energy issue. What has been a back-burner problem now has moved onto center stage and McCain has put himself in the forefront.
The Democratic ambivalence stems from liberal concerns about climate change. The Party basically doesn’t believe in carbon based energy and, therefore, opposes oil exploration. That’s why Obama pushes the windfall profits tax on oil companies - a step that tells them “you drill, you find oil, and we’ll take away your profits.” But Americans have their priorities in order: more oil, more drilling AND alternative energy sources, flex-fuel cars, plug in vehicles and nuclear power.
With his willingness to respond to the gas price crisis with bold measures, McCain shows himself to be a pragmatist while Obama comes off as an ideologue to puts climate change ahead of making it possible for the average American to get to work.
Of course, the high price of gas makes it inevitable that the US will lead the world in fighting climate change. With $5 gas, Americans will switch en masse to cars that burn less gasoline. Already we have cut our oil consumption by 500,000 barrels a day in the past year (about a 3% cut). The move away from oil will be exponential from here on out, dooming radical Islam and reversing climate change at the same time. But while we are getting new cars, we need more oil and McCain has flanked Obama on this issue. Big time.
 |
Comments
Only subscribers to Dick Morris' '08 Play-By-Play may post comments. You must be logged in to post a comment.
Excellent analysis. High fuel prices, lost jobs and improving the environment all yield to the same solution: aggressive pursuit of all the available energy options.
Dick I can not agree with you more. I wrote the belowe to my family and friends a few weeks ago. I have been in Iraq for the last 5 years and I am still here now.
I set here in this oil reach area of the world and have seen for myself the oil seeping out of the ground in the Northern Oil Fields of Iraq called the NOC. Just recently additional oil was discovered out in Al-Ambar Province that could make Iraq the top oil reserves in the Middle East. I watch as China, India, Vietnam, Russia coming into Iraq and bid and win all of the new oil contracts as U.S. Companies sit by and not bid on these projects or contracts because our government will not allow them to because we the United States does not want to be seen as an invading power set on oil domination. “Oil is not the reason we went to war in Iraq.” I here this time and time again and I hear the fear from Dept of State Officials as they try so hard to assure the world we are not after oil and to prove it we are going to discourage U.S. Companies from bidding on new oil reserve contracts in Iraq.
Well what the hell for? Is my Answer! Be genuine and come out and say “yes Oil is and was a big reason why we came into Iraq” Yes there were other humanitarian and National Security Reasons why we did come after Saddam and all are justified in my view. But be honest OIL also is a big reason and when my country men are dying and being wounded to help stabilize this most of |unstable areas” of the world Oil is the one thing that can have a positive impact on our efforts.
The high cost of oil is a windfall for a country like Iraq who needs the money to rebuild on its own and now after 5 years of conflict are doing just that. U.S. companies should compete for this oil. What other country in this world has earned the right to bid on and use it. We are the ones, along with Britain and other, who have build roads, Bridges, Power Plants, Water Treatment Plants, Sewer Plants, Schools by the hundreds, Hospitals and Clinics and so much more. To hell with conventual wisdom of the left and liberal utopian myths. We sit by and let other countries take advantage of our hard fought work because we want to hold ourselves out to be LIKED by the world. Well China, Vietnam, India and Russia love us for sitting on the side lines. COMPETE U.S. COMPETE! Being loved by these countries does not get you one mile more per gallon or $2.50 gas. It only ensures that we and our nation’s economy will be holding to these countries and OPEC.
I did some research today and look what I find in our nations news papers and main stream media. But it not front page news and whey not I ask!!! Policy is shaped by public outcry I assure you. Read below what I have found and you will realize we can pull ourselves away from OPEC and then our only national interest in the Middle East will be humanitarian and our commitment to Israel. Let the European Union deal with oil from the Middle East. Wake up America! The Middle East will no longer help us with oil prices because they know what is not being portrayed in our nation’s media. We have more oil then they do and when we in the West finally wake up and realize it and understand what is under our feet and off our shores and in our hemisphere we leave them “OPEC” behind. Why in the world do you think OPEC is expanding its membership to include Central, South American Nations?
Americans had the warning sign in the seventies……and what did we learn? We waited for history to repeat itself. It is not that there is a shortage of oil….its there and Dubai is the end results of how much.
The “greed of gain” has no time or limit to its capaciousness. Its one objective is to produce and consume. It has pity neither for nature nor for human beings. It is ruthlessly ready and waiting and without a moment’s hesitation to crush. Americans are stripped bare by the curse of plenty….and we all “want”, but are unwilling to change. However, I believe you are right on one instance…because the Saudis allowed the oil prices to get out of control (greed of gain theory), I feel that they will be exchanging their palaces and mercedes benz for tents and camels……but that is a long time in coming….Drilling for oil, alternate sources of energy, fuel efficient cars…….too late…too soon….just another band-aid on a hemmorrhage.
Dick: I don’t blame McCain for changing his mind or altering what he thinks a this date. My gosh, how on earth does any politician think the general public is going to afford $6.00 a gallon gas, which is what they are prepping us for now???? Its crazy! Stop the speculators from raising the price by being able to buy their ‘paper shares’ on margin for only 5% down - of course they have to deal in 100 barrel lots, so that cuts out the little average guy too.
I’ve heard that the militant radicals have said that they are going to break the US economy — well guess what, they are well on the way when you look at these gas prices and the prices of food. It won’t take too much to push us over the edge. All of those so-called representatives in Washington that “care so much” for their constitutents back home better get on the stick or they are going to find themselves answering to someone who is a lot more unpleasant to deal with that Messrs. Bush and Cheney.
Thanks for your colums.
RClay36 on June 19, 2008 8:08 am
RClay36: I am outraged by what you have provided in this note you wrote. I have passed on your whole letter to a cousin of mine who is close to those in the administration. I trust that if this is accurate, what you wrote, that someone is going to take note of it and start speaking out — this is political correctness to an insane degree.
Dick, I’ve never been able to accept our elected officials being so petty and partison. If a Republican and a Democrat go into a coffee shop and the Republican orders apple pie, the Democrat will insist on cherry. So it is with an energy policy. Both parties should strongly support expanded oil exploration and alternative energy sources. It’s clear that we must do both and right now! Otherwise, we will stand around wringing our hands and wondering what happened. Obama and his backers have it wrong again. This issue is so important that I suspect (hope) it will cost the Democrats the election. Otherwise, we will continue our decent into the dark ages.
RClay36:
Welcome to the political arena of 2008. Hope your cousin has more success.
To RClay36… Don’t despair about the entry of the Chinese, Vietnamese, Russians, and others into the Iraqi oil fields. Their attachment to the Iraqi oil teat will be a stabilizing influence in an area where we want stability, but not necessarily the job of maintaining the stability. Oil is a fungible commodity. If foreign companies develop the oil in Iraq, their demand footprint on the world markets decrease on a barrel for barrel basis for every barrel they pump.
You guys performed a valuable service to the world community. In 2002, the game in Iraq involved Saddam channeling his oil revenues into military assets intent on regional domination. With time, he would have become more and more dangerous. Iraq now, thanks to your efforts, is no longer striving for regional domination. They want to establish a basic level of security, rebuild, and ask the foreign troops to go home. It will be a long process.
Mr. Morris is right as to what we need to do. We need to develop sufficient oil production to meet our needs while we develop alternatives. But we need to do this outside of the Middle East.
[…] DickMorris.com Share […]
Dick, our Republican Governor, Sarah Palin, has revisited her conservative roots which she seemingly abandoned when she spearheaded passage of the Petroleum Profits Tax (PPT), aka the 2007 Alaska Windfall Profits Tax. The state government never envisioned oil going ridiculously higher than $90/barrel and are now inundated in millions of dollars per day in unexpected income.
After a period of liberal insanity, Sarah is now giving each Alaskan resident a check for $1200 to help us with our expenses (hopefully energy-related) but in true non-liberal fashion, leaving the decision up to us.
I work for Alaska Big Oil and although I feel the Alaska PPT should be modified if not repealed, at least give the money to the people or add to the existing Alaska Permanent Fund.