Barrel Strength

The modern era in the US federal energy policy began in 1973 with OPEC oil embargo. Other than blaming, in no particular order, oil companies, speculators or OPEC, where does US stand with the implementation of the energy policy over a protracted period?

All your correspondent can see is restriction on drilling in places such as Alaska and Louisiana, steps to sue OPEC and increased taxes on oil companies. How this leads to increase in the supply of oil is a mystery. Of course there is also the solution proposed in the video below by Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), who was named in 2005 and 2006 as one of the “most corrupt” members of congress by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, to nationalize the oil companies.

Direct link to video on Youtube

Given the bipartisan consensus that a energy policy is required, it is disconcerting that nothing has happened over an extended period. With all the roadblocks and intransigence for the energy policy, one has to ask what hope is there for formulating a broadly accepted consensus for the War on Terror? Bush is derided as a lone wolf but what were and are the options?

Those who fondly recall and point to the bipartisan consensus during the Cold War might want to recall the following statement by Dukakis’ running mate, Congressman Lloyd Bentsen, that shows how different the Democrats were back then: “I propose the president of the United States advise the commander of the North Korean troops to withdraw his forces beyond the 38th parallel within one week or use that week to evacuate civilians from a specified list of North Korean cities that will be subjected to atomic attack by the United States Air Force.”