Our Addiction to Foreign Oil

George Bush finally got something right; Americans are 'addicted' to foreign oil. But that's all he got right in his State of the Union address last night. I'll limit my very short comments to the single topic of his 'plan' to treat that addiction.

Bush's 'plan' is based on an irrational belief that advances in existing technology will treat our addiction. His plan to fix the problem is so completely and utterly inadequate I am surprised his comments were not met with jeers and laughter...but I guess those who would have provided the noise were not admitted to hear his speech last night. His policies betray his commitment to reducing our dependence on foreign oil. His refusal to let stand, much less make more stringent, CAFE standards to reduce gasoline use tell the real truth. His refusal to insist that Hummers and other such monstrosities be subject to gas mileage standards tell the real truth. His half-hearted approach to deal with an approaching catastrophe tell the truth.

If George Bush were a true leader, which of course he is not, he would have told the American public that it's past time for us to start taking action to cut our fuel consumption...he would have insisted that all of us need to recognize our own contributions to fuel overconsumption and that we need to STOP IT! Bush would have said the problem is something that cannot be ignored, nor can it be dealt with through half-hearted programs that look decades into the future for solutions. He would have said the only rational way for us to deal with the issue is to launch a no-holds-barred program of energy research, with the objective of identifying fresh new ways of generating energy to meet our requirements, and that our requirements would have to be reduced, regardless of the solution. He would have vowed to reach, by a near-term, specific date, energy self-sufficiency. He would have vowed to reach, by another specific date, the target of finding ways of replacing petroleum in products...in addition of replacing petroleum as an energy source.

But George Bush is not a leader...he is an arrogant, uninformed, brutal, uncaring, loser. And 'we' elected him. Ten years from now, I wonder how many people who voted for Bush will look back and recognize that the reason they are living in a 3rd rate country that has neither power nor respect and understand that their votes were responsible for it?

It's not entirely attributable to Bush, though. Where are the intelligent, articulate Democrats or independents who could provide a voice for reason? Kerry's laughable attempt to work a fillibuster of Alito's nomination provides proof that he's not the one. And everyone else seems silent.