Johann Hari from The Independent:

In 1991, the government of Somalia collapsed. Its nine million people have been teetering on starvation ever since – and the ugliest forces in the Western world have seen this as a great opportunity to steal the country's food supply and dump our nuclear waste in their seas.

Yes: nuclear waste. As soon as the government was gone, mysterious European ships started appearing off the coast of Somalia, dumping vast barrels into the ocean. The coastal population began to sicken. At first they suffered strange rashes, nausea and malformed babies. Then, after the 2005 tsunami, hundreds of the dumped and leaking barrels washed up on shore. People began to suffer from radiation sickness, and more than 300 died.

Ahmedou Ould-Abdallah, the UN envoy to Somalia, tells me: "Somebody is dumping nuclear material here. There is also lead, and heavy metals such as cadmium and mercury – you name it." Much of it can be traced back to European hospitals and factories, who seem to be passing it on to the Italian mafia to "dispose" of cheaply. When I asked Mr Ould-Abdallah what European governments were doing about it, he said with a sigh: "Nothing. There has been no clean-up, no compensation, and no prevention."

At the same time, other European ships have been looting Somalia's seas of their greatest resource: seafood. We have destroyed our own fish stocks by overexploitation – and now we have moved on to theirs. More than $300m-worth of tuna, shrimp, and lobster are being stolen every year by illegal trawlers. The local fishermen are now starving. Mohammed Hussein, a fisherman in the town of Marka 100km south of Mogadishu, told Reuters: "If nothing is done, there soon won't be much fish left in our coastal waters."

This is the context in which the "pirates" have emerged. Somalian fishermen took speedboats to try to dissuade the dumpers and trawlers, or at least levy a "tax" on them. They call themselves the Volunteer Coastguard of Somalia – and ordinary Somalis agree. The independent Somalian news site WardheerNews found 70 per cent "strongly supported the piracy as a form of national defence".

No, this doesn't make hostage-taking justifiable, and yes, some are clearly just gangsters – especially those who have held up World Food Programme supplies. But in a telephone interview, one of the pirate leaders, Sugule Ali: "We don't consider ourselves sea bandits. We consider sea bandits [to be] those who illegally fish and dump in our seas." William Scott would understand.

Did we expect starving Somalians to stand passively on their beaches, paddling in our toxic waste, and watch us snatch their fish to eat in restaurants in London and Paris and Rome? We won't act on those crimes – the only sane solution to this problem – but when some of the fishermen responded by disrupting the transit-corridor for 20 per cent of the world's oil supply, we swiftly send in the gunboats.

You can read the United Nations report here.

Bushisms Over The Years

From The Huffingtonpost:

"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully." _ September 2000, explaining his energy policies at an event in Michigan.

_ "Rarely is the question asked, is our children learning?" _ January 2000, during a campaign event in South Carolina.

_ "They misunderestimated the compassion of our country. I think they misunderestimated the will and determination of the commander in chief, too." _ Sept. 26, 2001, in Langley, Va. Bush was referring to the terrorists who carried out the Sept. 11 attacks.

_ "There's no doubt in my mind, not one doubt in my mind, that we will fail." _ Oct. 4, 2001, in Washington. Bush was remarking on a back-to-work plan after the terrorist attacks.

_ "It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber." _ April 10, 2002, at the White House, as Bush urged Senate passage of a broad ban on cloning.

_ "I want to thank the dozens of welfare-to-work stories, the actual examples of people who made the firm and solemn commitment to work hard to embetter themselves." _ April 18, 2002, at the White House.

There's an old saying in Tennessee _ I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee _ that says, fool me once, shame on _ shame on you. Fool me _ you can't get fooled again." _ Sept. 17, 2002, in Nashville, Tenn.

_ "Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." _ Aug. 5, 2004, at the signing ceremony for a defense spending bill.

_ "Too many good docs are getting out of business. Too many OB/GYNs aren't able to practice their love with women all across this country." _ Sept. 6, 2004, at a rally in Poplar Bluff, Mo.

_ "Our most abundant energy source is coal. We have enough coal to last for 250 years, yet coal also prevents an environmental challenge." _ April 20, 2005, in Washington.

_ "We look forward to hearing your vision, so we can more better do our job." _ Sept. 20, 2005, in Gulfport, Miss.

_ "I can't wait to join you in the joy of welcoming neighbors back into neighborhoods, and small businesses up and running, and cutting those ribbons that somebody is creating new jobs." _ Sept. 5, 2005, when Bush met with residents of Poplarville, Miss., in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

_ "It was not always a given that the United States and America would have a close relationship. After all, 60 years we were at war 60 years ago we were at war." _ June 29, 2006, at the White House, where Bush met with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi.

_ "Make no mistake about it, I understand how tough it is, sir. I talk to families who die." _ Dec. 7, 2006, in a joint appearance with British Prime Minister Tony Blair.

_ "These are big achievements for this country, and the people of Bulgaria ought to be proud of the achievements that they have achieved." _ June 11, 2007, in Sofia, Bulgaria.

_ "Mr. Prime Minister, thank you for your introduction. Thank you for being such a fine host for the OPEC summit." _ September 2007, in Sydney, Australia, where Bush was attending an APEC summit.

_ "Thank you, Your Holiness. Awesome speech." April 16, 2008, at a ceremony welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the White House.

_ "The fact that they purchased the machine meant somebody had to make the machine. And when somebody makes a machine, it means there's jobs at the machine-making place." _ May 27, 2008, in Mesa, Ariz.

_ "And they have no disregard for human life." _ July 15, 2008, at the White House. Bush was referring to enemy fighters in Afghanistan.

_ "I remember meeting a mother of a child who was abducted by the North Koreans right here in the Oval Office." _ June 26, 2008, during a Rose Garden news briefing.

_ "Throughout our history, the words of the Declaration have inspired immigrants from around the world to set sail to our shores. These immigrants have helped transform 13 small colonies into a great and growing nation of more than 300 people." _ July 4, 2008 in Virginia.

_ "The people in Louisiana must know that all across our country there's a lot of prayer _ prayer for those whose lives have been turned upside down. And I'm one of them. It's good to come down here." _ Sept. 3, 2008, at an emergency operations center in Baton Rouge, La., after Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf Coast.

_ "This thaw _ took a while to thaw, it's going to take a while to unthaw." Oct. 20, 2008, in Alexandria, La., as he discussed the economy and frozen credit markets.

Well, it's been a few weeks. The McCain/Obama debate has come and gone and now we're just a few hours away from the Biden/Palin ordeal. This should be interesting and although no one has a clue of the outcome, I predict boring. Maybe I'll be wrong. We'll see. Here's my predictions.
Biden will not attack Palin nor will he pounce on any gaffes should she utter any. He doesn't have to. He has the media to do that for him. The veep debates are not a real issue as a rule although we've never seen so many people infatuated over a one-hot-mama Sarah Palin. Biden will do best by focusing on McCain, keeping his foot out of his mouth, and refraining from arrogance. It's his debate to lose in a sense.
What's transpired over the past few weeks is that Palin is totally out of her league. But I really don't think she's as ignorant or ditsy as she's appeared. She isn't by any stretch, Presidential Vice President caliber but she's no stranger to debates and taking on the issues. I think that's why she's put on her dumb blond hat(no offense to anyone). The bar for her has been lowered so low that a C average performance will make her look like a champ. Biden can't win by slamming a soccer mom and winning for him wouldn't really wouldn't gain any votes.
What's truly disturbing here, in my opinion, is voters once again being taken as fools. We've seen a Presidential running mate hiding from the media, avoiding questions from audiences, and refusing to appear on Sunday talk shows. We know she can't compete so she's hiding behind lipstick. We know that she lacks credentials  so she's secluded from scrutiny. We know her real credentials so she disguises issues with impeccable voice inflections and attack dog tactics towards her opponents . She's to become POTUS  should McCain not be able to fulfill his term. In todays times, well hell, in any time, that's not enough qualifications for me. It shouldn't be enough for an America that's reaping the rewards from a disastrous 8 years of a similar incompetence. It shouldn't be enough for an entire world that's lost all confidence and credibility of an administration hiding in secrecy and shielding itself from reality.
I'll listen to Palin tonight and I'll listen  with an  open mind. I'll weigh her rebuttals with an open mind and not of an ideology. I just need to hear something other than the nonsense I've heard so far. It's just minutes away from the time of this posting. I guess we'll see.

Andy

According to an ABC News national poll, almost 90% of Republicans approve of Sarah Palin being selected as John McCain's running mate.

It's always amazed me how people will see what they want to see and believe what they want to believe. I said the other evening while watching Republicans salivating at every talking point a speaker uttered that if McCain or Palin told them that a turd didn't stink, they'd bob their heads accordingly and believe it. I know, I sound like a disgruntled and angry left liberal going into a rant and spewing froth all over my keyboard.

However, let's look a little deeper into this poll. When these same folks were asked, only 74% believe she's prepared to be president. Nine out of ten approve yet three out of four think she's under qualified to be POTUS. There's a reality that 72 year old cancer stricken John McCain may not be able to fulfill his 4 years in office. We're confronted with a second in command taking over that we're told can take on Russia because living closer to it than we do gives her an  advantage. She can deal with the K.G.B. because of experience in the P.T.A.? This is someone that says “I’ve been so focused on state government; I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq".  She also admitted that the war was for oil but disturbingly said it was a task from God. This is a candidate that's sequestered from the media while only being allowed to deliver rehearsed speeches written my White House speech writers.

It's really time for people to put their blind party loyalty aside and look at what's best for our country. Every institution in government is broken. This is a result of incompetent leadership and the placement of incompetent cronies in places that required qualified people. This is simply more of the same. 74% of Republicans know this. John McCain, disguised under a mantra of "Country First", promises more of the same. People that approve of this yet understands that it stinks should stand up and tell their party that it stinks. I'll repeat an elementary quip that's so relevant in this election. If we keep doing what we've been doing, we'll keep getting what we've been getting.
Andy
 

Joe Biden hits the nail on the head in his speech in Langhorne PA. It is consistent with my thoughts on the speeches at the GOP convention. Instead of addressing issues, Republicans only pointed fingers at Democrats for failures that they themselves have crested in the past eight years. Biden is correct that this isn't our father's Republican Party. This is indeed a different Republican Party.



What do you talk about when you can't explain the last eight years of failure?

 

 

There are a lot of things I find disturbing about John McCain picking Sarah Palin for his running mate.

One thing that isn't disturbing is the fact that her daughter Bristol is pregnant. That's a non issue and has no place in politics. What is somewhat disturbing is the timing and reason of the announcement. It's been disclosed that this was known prior to the VP announcement yet Palin didn't introduce Bristol as expecting nor did she mention an expected grandchild. It was announced on Labor Day to quell rumors that Sarah may have faked carrying Bristol's baby. How did that rumor leak? It's ironic that Bristol's pregnancy is now used to leave egg on the faces of left wing bloggers and at the same time distracts the fact that Bristol's pregnant. But I'm not all that disturbed over that.

Troopergate is indeed disturbing and sounds a lot like the U.S. Attorney firings. It's looking like John's mission seems to be to promote more of the same.

By lying about being against the bridge to nowhere after she was for it, she fits right in line with McCain's 74 flip flops and is consistent with the last 8 years. But we’ve all learned to live with the dishonesty of the Republican Party so this shouldn’t be too disturbing.

Forget about the fact that she had to ask exactly what it is that the VP does.

Her knowledge on Iraq should disturb us all. At least she admitted her ignorance by saying “I’ve been so focused on state government; I haven't really focused much on the war in Iraq".  She also admitted that the war was for oil but disturbingly said it was a task from God.

Obviously, history isn’t Palin’s long suit either. When asked in 2006 if she was offended by the phrase “Under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance, her response was “Not on your life. If it was good enough for the founding fathers, it’s good enough for me and I’ll fight in defense of our Pledge of Allegiance”.  Uh, the “under God” was added to the Pledge of Allegiance until 1954 and the Pledge itself, wasn’t even written until 1892. Yet, minute issues such as this really don’t disturb me.

Palin refuses to associate global warming with being man made, strongly supports the drill, drill, drill, and her political thinking is shaped by big oil’s interest. More oil people in the White House can be disturbing enough.  In an interview with Investor’s Business Daily last July she stated “I beg to disagree with any candidate who would say we can’t drill our way out of our problem”.  Yet last night during her speech , she mocked her “opponents” for reminding her that “drilling will not solve all of America’s energy problems”.

It’s disturbing enough that Palin decided not to tell us much last night about who she is or what qualifications she has. Instead, she (well, she really didn’t decide anything but simply delivered a speech written my Matthew Sully, Bush’s longtime speech writer) only belittled her opponent and offered nothing constructive.  What really disturbs me more than anything is that the GOP’s convention theme is “Country First”. The real question should be if Sarah Palin is the best choice for the country. Below, pick the most correct answer:

A)    Palin was selected because she is most qualified and the most likely to be able to fulfill the duties of President of the United States in the event she is needed.

B)    Palin was selected because it was believed she could help McCain be elected

The answer to that question shows the GOP’s true colors and once again, the best interest of the country and voters are put on the back burner.Simply put, Palin was selected because she fits the suit. We’re seeing a continuation of the cronyism and abject failures of the past 8 years. The McCain/Palin ticket promises more of the same. There’s a very real yet elementary lesson to be learned and that’s if we keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ll keep getting what we’ve been getting. I’ve had enough.

 

Crossposted From MyDD

Opponents Attack Heather Ryan for Supporting Battered Women

by RDemocrat, Fri Aug 29, 2008 at 12:19:36 AM EST

PUMA: Party Unity, My America (Brent Budowsky)

From The Hill's Pundits blog is a post from Brent Bubowsky.

As the lion in winter brings tears to the eyes and a convention to its feet as Ted Kennedy passes the torch to Barack Obama; as Michelle Obama brings light to the eyes of Democrats with an all-American story about the dreams that do come true, the battle in earnest has begun.

To those who say party unity my ass, I say, kiss mine. This is not about them, it is about America. The vanities and egotism and self-indulgence of some now yield to the war of the worlds that has begun in earnest. This is not about the Clintons. It is about the heart and soul and future of America.

Across this nation, as the lies and smears come forth from the forces of McCain, the heart and soul of America fights back from the good and decent people who say of Bush and Cheney and McCain and Rove: enough, no more, it ends here.

When John McCain lied about Barack Obama and said he would lose a war to win an election, the single mom and her teenage daughter fought back. Mom canceled Sunday dinner. Her daughter returned the CD. They gave another $20 to Obama. In their America, the big truth must defeat the big lie.

When McCain lied and said Obama would rather shoot hoops than visit wounded troops, the vets for Obama fought back. They gave a standing ovation to Obama's work for wounded warriors at Walter Reed while McCain lets veterans down on vote after vote, year after year, again and again.

When Cindy McCain smeared Michelle Obama, saying she was always patriotic and implying that Michelle was not, the office assistant in Washington fought back. She is organizing a rally for Barack where those who don’t have much will give what they can, to change the course of history.

When McCain lied about Obama and said Obama wanted to send political reporters and television cameras to visit wounded troops in Germany, the war hero who should have been president fought back. John Kerry speaks with integrity and passion and honor that this time, the big truth will defeat the big lie.

When McCain smears Obama, proud of his ads with young blond women and talk of "the Messiah," the Obama kids fought back. Throughout America they came with blue shirts and white pads, signing new volunteers and small donors who total more than 2 million patriots who believe that this time, in our America, the big truth must defeat the big lie.

The man who used to be John McCain in 2000 would be sickened by the McCain who campaigns today, and would stand against, not with, the heirs to those who fomented hate against Jefferson and Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt and FDR, Jack, Bobby and Martin, who were all slandered by the haters of their times. As Barack is in ours.

It is a war of the worlds. Little people with big hearts, patriots who would lift our democracy, the kids who will inherit the future, the believers in truth and honor in politics are fighting back every hour, every day, across America.

It is a war of the worlds about the content and character of the democracy of our country. It is a fight to the political death between the big truth and the big lie, between those who would lift our country up and those who would tear our country apart. The stakes are enormous. In the land of the free and the home of the brave, it is the truth that sets us free.

Now the convention has begun; the battle has been joined. One of the great men who ever served in the United States Senate has lifted his body and raised his voice, and by doing so, he lifts our hearts and raises our sights. One of the great American stories of our time, the hard-earned success of Michelle and Barack Obama, is living proof that as the great man said, the dream indeed will never die.

So to those who say party unity my ass, I say, kiss mine. The battle for the future of America has been joined. We will win it with you, or without you, and will not surrender the future to the lies and smears of our opponents or the vanities of those who pretend to be our friends.

_________________________________________________________________________

Brent Budowsky

From the mid-1970's to 1990 Brent Budowsky served in senior Congressional Staff positions including Legislative Assistant to former U.S. Senator Lloyd Bentsen, and Legislative Director to Representative Bill Alexander, then Chief Deputy Majority Whip.

With Senator Bentsen Mr. Budowsky was extensively involved with the Intelligence Identities Protection Law and Intelligence Officers Death Benefits Act. During his years with Congressional Leadership he was involved with conflicts ranging from Central America and opposing the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan to supporting freedom in Eastern Europe and world trade issues.

Mr. Budowsky left politics in 1990 to pursue business interests involving marketing and public affairs ranging from the talent agency that represented Frank Sinatra to a Papal CD to traditional corporate business. Mr. Budowsky reengaged politically after 9-11 and informally advises both Democrats and Republicans. His politics are demonstrated in columns he occasionally writes.

In a trilogy of essays in the Christian Science Monitor, Mr. Budowsky proposed after the contested 2000 election that both parties reach out for a new bipartisanship. He later proposed "Lets Make the Democrats the Patriot Party" and finally called in 2002 for a "Star Spangled" national unity ticket of Bob Kerrey and John McCain.

Writing in the National Review Online (12/15/04) an essay titled "Reagan, Roosevelt, Rushmore" Mr. Budowsky called Presidents FDR and Ronald Reagan "the great bookends of freedom" who were the indispensable leaders in the victories over fascism and communism. Mr. Budowsky deplores the partisanship and divisions in American politics today and calls for a new bipartisanship necessary for a nation at war, facing what he believes is an inevitable terrorist WMD attack on American soil unless dramatic bipartisan initiatives are undertaken.

Today, Vise Presidential hopeful Joe Biden gave a speech in Illinois saying "these times require more than a good soldier, they require a wise leader."

 

What a profound statement!

 

McCain, like Bush, is too intellectually incompetent to be a U.S. President. It should be obvious to almost everyone that George W. Bush is an abject failure and totally incompetent to lead our country. We saw this incompetence in his first year and his polls were heading down the toilet. His “C” average mentality was showing his true abilities. September 11 however presented a need for the nation to rally behind its leader and GWB was able to gain a great deal of his popularity back. His approval ratings soared higher than ever before. As time past, people began to see once again that unfortunately, their leader was a hoax. George W. Bush’s dad George Herbert Walker Bush and granddad Prescott Bush were intelligent and successful. GWB did poorly in school and  stayed drunk most of his adult life. Young Bush was basically handed the Presidency from his dad.

He’s leaving the country with a staggering $10 trillion  debt,  8 years of  a total disregard to our laws as well as any form of honesty, an outright abuse of executive privileges, the highest level of cronyism in history, our reputation around the world a total disgrace, illegal intimidation and firing of U.S. Attorneys, the demise of habeas corpus while disregarding the Geneva Convention, Plamegate, Abramoff, the Libby pardon, domestic spying, unsubstantiated use of signing statements, people out of work, wages stagnant, people losing their homes, the economy spiraling out of control, and of course, the abyss of Iraq.

John S. McCain III, like GWB, is nothing like his father or his grandfather. Both McCain Jr and Sr Attended the Naval Academy at Annopolis and became four star admirals. John III however finished 894th out of 899 at the same academy. 

We need leadership that’s intelligent and capable to be CEO of this country. I admire John McCain’s courage and his service to this country. I respect him and I think he’s an honorable man. That’s just not enough for the position he’s asking for. We should know by now that leadership that doesn’t have the intellectual ability to run the country is a ticket for disaster.

 

Americans Want A Comprehensive Energy Plan: Alternative Energy Resources, More Fuel-Efficient Cars Top New Poll

August 21st, 2008 by Office of the Speaker

What a dumbass.  Our President holds up the American flag the wrong way at the swimming arena at the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China while attending the Olympic Games. His wife Laura had to tell him to turn it around. Lord help us!

Eight years ago today at Bush’s acceptance speech at the 2000 Republican National Convention in Philadelphia, Bush made the following promise;


It's disturbing that the President of the United States not only has no remorse in blatantly lying to the American people, manipulating his powers of the White House, and selling out our country to corporate interests. For Bush to invoke God's name in his scheme only futher shows his true colors. President Bush continued;


As Crooks And Liars points out-----

Eights years later and Bush’s 2000 standard of “not only what is legal but what is right” is in tatters. Just this week, Bush’s own Justice Department issued a report which concluded that Monica Goodling, the former White House liaison for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, violated federal law and DOJ policy by discriminating against job applicants who weren’t faithful Republicans or conservative activists.

And that’s just the beginning. Plamegate, the Libby pardon, the Abramoff affair, doctoring scientific reports, the end of habeas corpus, detainee torture, the politically-motivated firings of U.S. attorneys, illegal domestic surveillance, the theory of the unitary executive and the unprecedented assertion of executive privilege all show a President committed to doing neither what is legal nor right. And then, of course, there’s Iraq.

GWB added;


Is it any wonder that when the President Bush speaks today, with his credibility in the toilet, most people just assume it's a lie?

 

Bush Drilling Proposal a Hoax Unworthy of Serious Debate on Gas Prices

July 30th, 2008 by Speaker Pelosi

Louisville's Courier-Journal exposes Mitch McConnell as " A Fraud".

Protecting speculators

What a fraud Mitch McConnell is, when it comes to the ruinous gasoline price hikes that have hit consumers across Kentucky, and America.

Senate Democrats tried to curb the rampant speculation that experts say is part of the reason gas prices are so high. They were blocked by Mr. McConnell and his GOP followers.

“I’m with the guy at the pump,” Mr. McConnell claimed.

That’s not true. He’s with the oil guy in the White House.

He even tried to blame his 2008 Democratic opponent, Bruce Lunsford, for the gasoline price hike, which of course is a national phenomenon. How desperate is that?

Kentuckians know full well that gas has gone up everywhere, for many reasons, including the energy appetite of quickly developing nations like India and China, a shortage of new refinery capacity, instability in oil-producing countries and years of chaos that kept Iraq’s oil production stuck below prewar levels.

Mitch McConnell and his White House friends have done little or nothing about other major causes, like our national refusal to swear off the oil economy and to develop alternative energy sources. They have done little to effectively move Detroit toward building fuel efficient vehicles and getting out front on hybrids.

Last week there was a chance to do something about the oil speculators, who have played the situation and made it worse. But Mitch McConnell said no.

He and the oil industry crowd around George W. Bush propose that we drill our way to lower prices by opening up fragile areas. But such help would be years in coming and have little impact.

There is a critical domestic issue, and the Senate had a chance to start doing something about it, by handcuffing the speculators who have milked this crisis for all it’s worth — to them. But Mitch McConnell and his crowd said no.

State Senator Kevin Bryant of South Carolina must have thought this was a cute picture to put on his blog last week. There are at least two things disturbing here. One is the over the top fear mongering that's been promoted by the Republican party. To insinuate or imply that Senator Obama from Illinois is the same as Osama bin Laden of Afghanistan certainly beneath what we'd expect from an elected official. The other thing disturbing is Senator Bryant's censoring of of his blog, allowing only opinions that supports his right wing effort to tie Obama to terrorist and to show him as a Muslim, something that's already proven to be untrue.

A few days after the picture went up, Sen Bryant put up another post stating;
Uh, no Senator you did not. You did it to say that Senator Obama from Illinois is just like Osama bin Ladin. That voting for Senator Obama would be the same as voting for OBL. You were impling that if Senator Obama is elected, we may very well fear the same thing as if we elect OBL.

Sen Bryant added; "I have no regrets from this picture".
Well sir, perhaps you should. You are running for reelection this November and hopefully people will see through your fear mongering tactics. I have made a contribution to your opponent, Marshall Meadors and plan to solicit others to do so as well. I encourage everyone that's tired of this type of nonsense to do the same. Granted, the state legislators of SC has little bearing to the rest of us but sending $5, $10, or whatever you can to help unseat Bryant will send a strong message that his bigotry and fear mongering isn't appreciated.

An interesting article from The Wonk Room. The fact that the Bush Administration refuses to release oil reserves in a time of need should show his obvious interest in taking care of Big Oil and not the American people. It's just as Rep. DeFazio said this week;

“The Republicans are saying now, “It’s the Democrats’ fault.” No. We’re living under the failure of the Republican oil industry’s energy policy. There’s actually 164,968,695 reasons why we’re living under that. That’s the amount of money the Republican party has received from the oil industry in the last 18 years. One hundred and sixty four million dollars in political contributions. That’s a pretty big motivation.”

 

The Power Of The Strategic Petroleum Reserve

The United States Strategic Petroleum Reserve was created in 1975 in the wake of the 1973 OPEC oil embargo to help the United States buffer against oil price shocks that have “major adverse impact on national safety or the national economy.” With oil hitting $147/barrel last week and American families struggling with gas prices over $4.00/gallon, we believe the time for a buffer is now.

This week, in the Center for American Progress Action fund advocated releasing half a million barrels of oil from the reserves per day for 100 days. This increase in the oil supply would bring prices down, pop the speculative bubble, and raise money to pay for relief for struggling American families.

This sale would require using a mere 50 million barrels from the record 708 million barrels currently in the reserves. This would leave 90% of the reserves intact, enough to power the entire U.S. economy for two months without oil imports (an extraordinarily unlikely scenario as over 1/3 of our imported oil comes from Canada and Mexico).

To illustrate the power of releasing oil from the reserves, check out these two graphs illustrating oil prices in the wake of the 1991 release during Operation Desert Storm and the 2005 release in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

Operation Desert Storm: On January 16, 1991, President George H.W. Bush announced the release of 34 million barrels of oil to stabilize oil prices during Operation Desert Storm. That day, oil sold for $32.25 a barrel. The day after the announcement, prices dropped 33.4%, one of the largest one-day drops in the history of recorded oil prices, to $21.48/barrel. In conjunction with the release of oil reserves in nations across the OECD, prices stayed low, averaging $19.46/barrel in February and $15.50/barrel in March.

Hurricane Katrina: Oil prices were rising as Hurricane Katrina bore down onto the Gulf Coast in late August 2005. By September 1st, after the storm made land-fall and wrecked key oil infrastructure in the gulf, prices had risen to $69.50/barrel, well above the August average of $65.58/barrel. On September 2nd, President George W. Bush authorized the release of 30 million barrels of crude oil from the reserves. The price dropped 3.7% that day, and stayed low throughout the aftermath of the storm, averaging $62.26 in October and $58.32 in November.

Releasing oil from the Strategic Oil Reserves could provide serious price relief for American families struggling with skyrocketing gas prices and raise revenue to invest in a new energy future without padding the profits of big oil companies or putting our nation at risk. President Bush has the authority to release this oil today, and it could be on the market in two weeks. He should consider it.