With 94% of the world’s oil supply locked up by foreign governments, most of which are hostile to the United States, the relatively puny American oil companies do not have access to enough crude oil to significantly affect the market and help bring prices down. Thus, Exxon Mobil, a small oil company, buys 90% of the crude oil that it refines for the U.S. market from the big players, i.e, mostly-hostile foreign governments. The price at the U.S. pump is rising because the price the big oil companies charge Exxon Mobil and the other small American companies for crude oil is going up.

This is obviously a tough situation for the American consumer. The irony is that it doesn’t have to be that way. The United States–unlike, say, France–actually has vast petroleum reserves. It would be possible for American oil companies to develop those reserves, play a far bigger role in international markets, and deliver gas at the pump to American consumers at a much lower price, while creating many thousands of jobs for Americans. This would be infinitely preferable to shipping endless billions of dollars to Saudi Arabia, Russia and Venezuela.

So, why doesn’t it happen? Because the Democratic Party–deliberately keeps gas prices high and our domestic oil companies small by putting most of our reserves off limits to development. China is now drilling in the Caribbean, but our own companies are barred by law from developing large oil fields off the coasts of Florida and California. Enormous shale oil deposits in the Rocky Mountain states could go a long way toward supplying American consumers’ needs, but the Democratic Congress won’t allow those resources to be developed. ANWR contains vast petroleum reserves, but we don’t know how vast, because Congress, not wanting the American people to know how badly its policies are hurting our economy, has made it illegal to explore and map those reserves, let alone develop them.

In short, all Americans are paying a terrible price for the Democratic Party’s perverse energy policies.

The OPEC policy of limiting production in the face of increasing demand is like that of a cruel dog-owner who puts a collar snugly around the neck of a young puppy, but then refuses to let it out as the dog matures. So as the dog grows, the collar gets tighter and tighter until it chokes to death. But it is not the growth of the dog that kills the dog; the culprit is the dog owner who refuses to let out the collar. This is what OPEC is now doing to the United States, the industrial world at large, and to the Third World — whose impoverished people can least afford to pay for overpriced oil.

And this is just the beginning. OPEC leaders, including Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, are already openly discussing raising the price of oil to $200 a barrel or more. In that case, Americans’ oil tribute will rise to $1.8 trillion per year, paid to an evil cartel whose total worldwide extortions will cost the global economy more than $7 trillion. If we want to avoid complete economic defeat, we need to destroy the oil cartel.

In order to stop the OPEC looting of the U.S. and world economies, we need to break the cartel’s vertical monopoly by creating fuel choice on a global scale. Congress can make this happen with a stroke of the pen, by passing a law requiring that all new cars sold in the United States be flex-fuel vehicles that can run on any combination of gasoline, ethanol or methanol. The technology is readily available and it only costs about $100 per vehicle.

By making America a flex-fuel vehicle market, we will effectively make flex fuel the international standard, as all significant foreign car makers would be impelled to convert their lines over as well. Around the world, gasoline would be forced to compete at the pump against alcohol fuels made from any number of sources: This includes current commercial crops like corn and sugar; cellulosic ethanol made from crop residues and weeds; methanol, which can be made from any kind of biomass without exception as well as coal, natural gas, and recycled urban trash.

By creating such an open-source fuel market, we can enormously expand and diversify humanity’s fuel resource base. We will thus protect all nations from continued blackmail, robbery and — indeed, in some cases — starvation induced by the oil cartel.

Taxation without representation is tyranny.

Just keep reaching into that bag of tired memes and talking points…but frankly many of your charges (he’s mean, he wants war with Iran, etc.) are absurd.

I do not hope to change your mind about McCain, but I have enjoyed the debate.

BTW, Cindy McCain has released her tax returns. Guess what…she’s rich!

Have a good weekend.

Yes, McCain has flip-flopped on some issues. Yes, the conservative base ain’t in love with him. And yes, McCain has a temper.

Hell, maybe a mean country needs a mean president. I don’t know.

So, now that we’ve gotten that put there, let’s discuss how many times Obama has backtracked, flip-flopped and outright blown his statements on the War on Terror and foreign policy.

I will concede that Obama might be better than McCain on domestic issues. But he’s clueless on foreign policy and national security.

It’s the grace of God upon you b/c you’re a patient person!

Let me know what she says….

Trot out the resident black person to give legitimacy to her excuses.

Surely, all those black leaders in Clinton’s camp see their careers crumbling before their eyes.

this happenss from time to time. Supporters from one camp infiltrate blogs that support the other. Let S and he who shall not be named get there points out.

All they are doing is confirming the Bush/McCain plan to extend every single mistake that went on in the past 8 yrs.

Not one mention of how there canidate will differ from bush’s policy on economics, foreign policy, and the housing crisis. All of which no matter what poll you look at are the top issues of this election season.

Not one mention of the FACT that McCain is slowly loosing the conservative wing of that party and how those votes are open.

Not one mention of how there canidate who once voted against the tax cuts Bush sent out, then flip flopped..

Sorry to hear about what happened.

I cant imagine what you must have went through..

Keeping on the topic though, you dont seem to make much mention of the gutting of McCain’s staff. From Lobbyist, to pastors. It speaks volumes to how one can imagine how he intends to run a cabinet..

Also worth noting, can you please explain the temper of your canidate? Do you not think a person who’s is described by some of his fellow party members as someone one with Anger issues. Look, the guy is a flat out mean man.

Finally, I got one question where exactly does your guy Mc Cain plan to find troops for his future Iran war? Do the guys who gave everything in AFG, and Iraq simply go home to crappy barracks for 6 months and gear up for another stretch in Iran?

Look, Your canidate may have the best intentions in the world, but he has bought a high amount of stock into the Bush Foreign Policy.

Until he can figure out a way diplomatic method that doesnt require songs of bombing Iran, then expect him to remain the Senior Senator from Arizona….

You f-ng bore me! F-ing haters!

By Peter Wehner

Barack Obama is increasingly embodying the “old politics” he says he will overturn.

The most recent example is his campaign’s effort to distance Obama from comments he made last July. When asked if he would be willing to meet with the leaders of Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Cuba, and North Korea “without precondition” during the first year of his administration, Obama famously answered, “I would.” It’s a commitment he repeated throughout the Democratic primary.

But now Obama’s top advisers like Tom Daschle are saying, “I would not say that we would meet unconditionally. Of course, there are conditions that we [would] involve in preparation in getting ready for the diplomacy. . . . ‘Without precondition’ simply means we wouldn’t put obstacles in the way of discussing the differences between us. That’s really what they’re saying, what Barack is saying.” And Obama himself insisted that he didn’t necessarily have President Ahmadinejad in mind when he said he’d meet with the leader of Iran — and, anyway, “this obsession with Ahmadinejad is an example of us losing track of what’s important.”

This explanation is Clintonian. As Robert Novak helpfully pointed out in his column on Thursday, last September Obama was asked at a press conference whether he still would meet with Ahmadinejad. Obama replied, “Yeah . . . I find many of President Ahmadinejad’s statements odious. . . . But we should never fear to negotiate.” And in November, on NBC’s Meet the Press, Obama defended “a conversation with somebody like Ahmadinejad.”

Rather than admit he made a mistake, however, Obama now blames us for our “obsession” with Ahmadinejad. And as is so often the case, any criticism of Obama, on any grounds, is causing us to “lose track of what’s important.” One senses that Obama and his supporters, while happy to pound his opponents, believe criticism of him is indecorous and even illegitimate.

There is yet more in the Obama oeuvre of old politics.

In October 2007, Obama and not his critics made the American flag pin on his lapel an issue by saying it had become a “substitute” for “true patriotism.” He proudly declared, ”I won’t wear that pin on my chest.” That pledge has apparently become inoperative. Obama has been wearing the American flag pin on his lapel at campaign events. Apparently it’s no longer a substitute for “true patriotism.”

In his speech on race, Obama said “I can no more disown [the Reverend Jeremiah Wright] than I can disown the black community. I can no more disown him than I can my white grandmother.” But after Wright’s comments a few weeks later at the National Press Club, the Reverend Wright found himself not only disowned but tossed under the bus — not so much because of Wright’s critical comments about America but because of his critical comments about Obama.

Senator Obama has claimed as president he’ll be able to rise above partisan politics — yet he has done very little to work with Republicans on major, controversial issues. Obama is not only the most liberal person in the Senate but also one of the most reliable Democratic votes. He has voted against such outstanding Supreme Court nominees as John Roberts and Samuel Alito. No person who is serious about acting in a “post-partisan” manner would have cast those votes or acted the way Obama has during his Senate career.

Obama repeatedly speaks about the corrupting influence lobbyists have on politicians — yet he seems rather less vocal about his close association with Antoin “Tony” Rezko, who is on trial on 24 counts of corruption. Rezko was among the first people to support Obama’s maiden campaign, was a key fundraiser for all of Obama’s campaigns, and Rezko and his wife helped the Obamas buy their house by purchasing the lot next door.

According to the Chicago Sun-Times, in June 2005 Obama and Rezko purchased adjoining parcels. Obama paid $1.65 million for a home while Rezko paid $625,000 for the adjacent, undeveloped lot. Both closed on their properties on the same day (the Obama’s were able to purchase their parcel for $300,000 less than the asking price while Rita Rezko, the wife of Tony Rezko, paid the full price). And in January 2006, Obama paid Rezko $104,500 for portions of his land. The transaction occurred at a time when it was widely known that Rezko was under investigation. And according to ABC News, Rezko contributed more than $120,000 to Obama’s 2004 Senate campaign — much of it at a time when Rezko was the target of an FBI investigation. “It surprised me that late in the game [Obama] continued to take contributions from somebody who was under a rather dark cloud in the state,” according to Cynthia Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, a group that has worked closely with Obama and supported his legislative efforts.

* * * *

Is Barack Obama’s record on these matters unprecedented for a politician? No. Has he acted in ways that are dishonorable or that call into question his basic integrity? Not in my judgment. But they matter because they go to the core of his campaign, which is to present Obama as a figure who is different, and better, than those who have come before him. He is a man who will bring “change” to Washington, cast aside the “old politics,” and heal deep divisions. We are led to believe that he is a transcendent figure, more high-minded and unstained than, well, just about anyone in American politics.

But reality is now shattering the myth. Obama turns out to be a Chicago politician — highly ambitious, extremely talented, and neither untainted nor uncompromised. Maybe it’s time for the national media, many of whom (like Newsweek and MSNBC, for starters) are enraptured by Obama, to acquaint themselves with the real man. Is that too much to ask when selecting our next president?

Do you know how many earmarks John McCain has procured for the state of AZ. ZERO. That’s right $0.00.

He walks the walk on this issue and I trust him to be able to cut spending in Washington and believe he will make good on his pledge to veto any legislation which contains earmarks.

“The Associated Press, reviewing 1,173 pages of medical documents spanning 2000 to 2008″ declares John McCain to be in good health.

Did I say “good health”? Actually, they report an assessment that “physiologically he is considerably younger than his chronologic age based on his cardiovascular fitness,” [Mayo internist Dr. John] Eckstein said in an interview Thursday. “I got a call from the cardiologist who said that he had not seen anyone that age exercise for that long in a long time.”

Wait there’s more:
“Three political aides on Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) payroll were registered lobbyists for dozens of corporations, including Wal-Mart, British Petroleum and Lockheed Martin, while they received payments from his campaign, according to public documents.

The BP connection is through Teal Baker, who worked for the Podesta Group.

Or how about lobbyists for those dreaded insurance companies?

Brandon Hurlbut, Obama’s liaison to veterans, union members and senior citizens in New Hampshire, represented clients such as the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies and the Allegheny County Housing Authority from January to June, according to public records. Six clients paid B&D Consulting $380,000 for Hurlbut to lobby their causes.

Or how about pharmaceutical companies? They’re popular in Democratic circles.

Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which accepts lobbyists’ donations and is now trailing in the polls, has sought to question Obama’s commitment to his lobbying ban. In a debate Saturday night in New Hampshire, she noted that Obama’s campaign co-chairman in New Hampshire, Jim Demers, is a state-based lobbyist whose clients include pharmaceutical companies. He is not registered at the federal level.

Wait, there’s more. How about AT&T, opponent of “net neutrality” and a company that cooperates with the NSA on wiretaps?

The Washington Post previously reported that Moses Mercado, a veteran political adviser to the likes of Dick Gephardt’s former presidential bids, was negotiating last fall to become an adviser to Obama. Mercado was registered in Washington to lobby on behalf of several several corporate clients, including AT&T.

Mercado said today he ultimately decided to skip becoming a paid adviser and instead is volunteering his advice and time in hopes of sidestepping the questions about being a lobbyist on the Obama payroll.”

Engaging in talks with our enemies WITHOUT PRECONDITIONS is Obamas stated position and the BIG difference in his foreign policy approach you so conveniently overlook.

We are involved in two wars because we were attacked on 9/11.

IF race becomes an issue AMERICANS will remember it. Just keep in mind, the term race-baiting means seeing racism WHERE NONE EXISTS. Keep that card off the table now or up your sleeve…

John McCain has endured torture and cannot raise his arms above his head. Detailing Mccain’s triumph over torture and solitary confinement to live and long, productive, successful life is a conversation I welcome.

PTSD is real and not always permanent, disabling condition. As a survivor of early childhood sexual abuse, I myself have suffered at one time from PTSD. Again, overcoming adversity adds to one’s inner strength, resolve and character. None need not fall victim to one’s circumstances…

It is no trap to expect Obama to release his medical records.

Cindy McCain’s tax returns. Michelle Obama’s remarks on the campaign trail. Let’s not make the spouses central to the debate here.
This is about as damaging and productive as the Wright/Hagee/Parsley debate.

As for the lobbyist issue, this is a double-edged sword.

Okay. Fine. I think it’s stupid to try to purge every campaign of anyone who has ever lobbied, since most campaign and political professionals need work in non-campaign years, and one of the most widespread options is lobbying firms.

But if you want to have this fight, then can we expect a front page story on:

Daniel Shapiro, one of Obama’s foreign policy advisers on the Middle East, registered to lobby for several corporate clients in the last year, since leaving the office of Rep. Bill Nelson (D-Fla). Shapiro, who worked during the 1990s for President Bill Clinton’s National Security Council, counts some of America’s biggest corporate names among his clients, including beermaker Anheuser-Busch, carmaker Daimler Chrysler, the American Petroleum Institute and Freddie Mac.

Obama considers the point that he doesn’t take money from oil companies (no one does; he just takes money from their employees) worth mentioning in an ad. So if their money is tainted, why is it okay to take advice from their lobbyists? How can Obama say he’ll get tough on automakers to make sure they make fuel-efficient vehicles, if a Daimler Chrysler lobbyist has his ear?

Stupid argument? No more so than the idea that Charlie Black will be setting McCain’s Africa policy.

I’m trying to understand what the hell did she do this time…

Rushing to get back to work and I find this news!

I’m am done…this is it guys…they need to end this race. Or suspend hers!

I’m f-ing mad! Sounds like Hillary is sending a damn message for someone to harm Obama!

That dirty bitch! She knows exactly what she is doing!

I just heard the Kennedty comments.. This goes waaaay beyond her racebaiting…I wish nothing but the worse for HRC…