In their latest attempt to obfuscate any responsibility for high oil/gas prices, the Dems are now trying to lay the blame for the off shore drilling bans on President Bush.
On the Spot (CNSNews.com) – President’s Bush’s call on Wednesday for Congress to lift its 27-year moratorium on offshore drilling is an “example of typical Bush White House politics,” Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev) told Cybercast News Service Thursday.
and
“What the president is doing is unfair to the American people to indicate, ‘We will let Congress do something about it,’ ” Reid said. “He has the authority to do it himself.”
Wait a minute! Isn’t “Unilateral Action” what the Dems have been scolding and denigrating President Bush over on a whole host of topics?
Regarding Iraq:
Senator Clinton excoriated President Bush July 10, 2007, for his “unilateral decision to rush to a preemptive war.” Just three weeks after his 2002 vote in favor of the authorization of military force, Edwards slammed Bush’s “gratuitous unilateralism, a determination to act alone for the sake of acting alone.” Kerry routinely blasted Bush’s “unilateral preemption” on the 2004 presidential campaign trail. In April, according to CNN, Reid “painted the President’s war policy as unilateral.”
Regarding the Free Trade Agreement with Columbia:
"Further, the President’s decision to act unilaterally in sending the FTA disregards three decades of established precedent under fast-track legislation, and demonstrates yet again his lack of respect for Congress.
The Dems even kept Congress in session during the winter recess just so that President Bush couldn’t “unilaterally” invoke his constitutional right to appoint recess appointments for judges.
President Bush could certainly have revoked the ban on offshore drilling. If he had done so, the Democrats would once again be screaming about his “unilateral actions” and how they hadn’t been consulted. Instead, as he often does, he is attempting to lead Congress to do the right thing. He’s doing this by publicly making the case for the elimination of drilling restrictions. He’s allowing the common sense of the American public to weigh on Congress, hoping that they see the light and decide to act in accordance with the public’s desire.
President Bush, may I humbly offer some advice:
The Democrats are in a corner on this issue. They have no where to go but down (if that can even be imagined). If you remove the drilling ban they will attempt to paint you as in the pocket of “Big Oil.” So what? You’re not running for reelection and you know better than anyone in Washington that expanded drilling is absolutely necessary regardless of any other efforts that some may want to explore to deal with our energy shortage. I suggest you contact Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Reid and tell them that on Tuesday evening of next week you will have a national television address in which, you will tell the American public that you will sign an executive order eliminating the drilling ban. With that done, the energy issue will hang over the Democrats like the Sword of Damocles.
Upon your notice Mr. President, the Democrats will have a decision to make. They may choose to continue their petulant tirads, much like they have over funding for Iraq or supporting FISA. In the end they know that they will not only lose the issue, but stand a chance of reversing what should be an electoral success in November as the American public takes out its wrath on those who have purposely chosen to harm the welfare of their families. On the other hand, they may take the advice of a frontier snake oil salesman who when asked how he managed to maintain his reputation after being run out of town after town across the frontier said: “It’s simple. When the crowd gathers with the rail to run me out of town, I get to the front of the mob and run, gesticulating my arms as if I’m a band leader. That way, rather than being run out of town, I can tell people that I was leading the parade bidding me farewell for the next leg of my journey!”
Mr. President, please kick the last crutch out from under the Democrat’s excuses for not drilling. As it regards energy and America’s need to dramatically increase our oil exploration it’s time to “Go To The Mattresses!”
