O/T: Bush says US addicted to oil

JohnThrax

JohnThrax

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Mar 14, 2004
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http://cnn.netscape.cnn.com/news/story.jsp?idq=/ff/story/0002/20060131/1732890552.htm

Bush says U.S. addicted to oil

By Steve Holland
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush will say "America is addicted to oil" and must develop technologies to address soaring gasoline prices in a State of the Union speech on Tuesday night that argues against a U.S. retreat from Iraq and the war on terrorism.

In excerpts of the 9 p.m. EST speech released by the White House, Bush argued the United States must remain aggressively engaged around the world, rejecting critics who feel Washington is provoking ill will and should pull back.

With oil prices close to record levels and Exxon reporting record profits of $10.7 billion, Bush will highlight the need to improve technologies in order to reduce U.S. oil imports.

"America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world," Bush said in the excerpts. "The best way to break this addiction is through technology."

The president's speech will be delivered to a joint session of the U.S. Congress, where Democrats seeking gains in midterm elections have been criticizing Bush on a range of issues that include the Iraq war, Hurricane Katrina relief and a domestic spying program.

He is coming off one of the toughest stretches of his presidency, and his job approval ratings hover in the high 30s to low 40s in most polls.

Bush argued the United States should shape events abroad rather than being shaped by them and that under his leadership there will be no pulling back. He warned against the temptation to take "the road of isolationism and protectionism," saying it ends in "danger and decline."

"In a time of testing, we cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders. If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone. They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores," he said.

The comments amount to a rejection of those Democrats and others who argue U.S. policies in Iraq and in the war on terrorism are doing more harm than good abroad.

Bush said the United State must improve its economic competitiveness to take on challenges from such competitors as China and India.

"The American economy is pre-eminent, but we cannot afford to be complacent," he said.

Sweeping proposals along the lines of his big Social Security revamp -- which fizzled after its high-profile roll-out a year ago -- were not expected in the annual speech before millions watching on television.

Bush is seeking to boost his standing after a year in which his popularity hit an all-time low as the public grew increasingly concerned about the Iraq war, angry about high gasoline prices and disappointed by a influence-peddling scandal involving Jack Abramoff, a major Republican fund-raiser.

The scandal has implicated a least one Republican member of Congress.

An NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll conducted January 26-29 of 1,011 adults showed Bush's approval rating at 39 percent, unchanged from last month.

Bush will follow the speech by traveling to sell his agenda to the public. Later this week he will visit Tennessee and Minnesota -- states that have tight, contested Senate races -- followed by a stop in New Mexico, and then spend the weekend at his Crawford, Texas, ranch.

Bush's challenge is to outline a plan that Republicans who control Congress can use to try to avoid what has been the historical norm -- the party in power loses seats in midterm elections, election years in which a president is not chosen.

"It is very important that the president thematically shows where we're going in terms of the vision and an agenda," Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said told CNN.

The Tennessee Republican predicted his party would maintain control -- and perhaps even gain seats -- if he and his colleagues "follow and deliver meaningful solutions to the real challenges of the American people."

Bush also will focus on initiatives to address the soaring cost of health care by expanding the use of tax-preferred savings accounts and giving tax breaks to Americans without employer-provided health insurance.

The speech went through more than 30 drafts and ran 38 minutes in practice sessions without applause.

"I hope the president, in his State of the Union, will really try to do what he said he's going to do for five years: that is, be a uniter, not a divider," Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, a Nevada Democrat, said on CNN. "Everything that he's done is just the opposite of what he has said."
Click to expand...
I am blown away that he JUST figured that out now...
 
Good news for the wind energy sector here in Denmark, which I believe is the biggest in the world!
Send us all your money...
 
I must confess, when I first saw the thread listed here, I thought it was in reference to John Bush, not George Bush ... somebody slap me
 
On the Daily Show a few months back, they showed a clip of Dipshit Dubya saying that the American people are entitled to drive huge SUV's and shouldn't sacrifice their way of living or drive any less then they do. He seems to be singing a new tune now
 
Maybe I'm missing something but if Mobile/Exxon had a 39 BILLION PROFIT, why are prices so high? Wouldn't this, in business ventures, relate to the Microsoft monopoly?
 
We're addicted to cars...We drive 20 Miles to get a gallon of milk at Walmart, instead of walking 2 blocks to the neighborhood grocer.
 
Ok, there is a months worth of ammo in that speech, but I'm only going to point out a couple of things.

1. I actually agree with one thing he said - about how important it is to finish what we started and not become neo-isiolationist. Normaly, isolationism never hurt us, but it is a different world now, and he's right (or atleast his speechwriter is) - the thought of the battle being fought in the US is all too real. I never wanted us to start shit in Iraq in the first place, and I hope our guys can get the hell out of there and come home soon - but things have to be finished. Now on to my usual Bush Bashing....

2. Uh, lets see, "technology." My, my, that's a large word! The technology to get 50 to 60 mpg out of your engine has been around for 30 years and we still don't have it in our cars. Think about that - think about all the oil that could have been preserved, all over the world. But the Government bought all the pattents and now we are still stuck with 25-30 mpg if you are an average driver. Those of you that think that's sounds stupid - I remind you of the lightbulb that never burns out. If it gets marketed, jobs get lost and stocks go down. Keep in mind all the politicians who have their hands in the oil business. Now all the oil companies (who many politicians have their investments in, mind you) are buying up all the hybrid technology so they don't miss out on the next big thing. Exxon, one way or another, will have a big role in the next generation of hybrid's. Imagine that. yay capitalism.

It's funny that this country is run by crooked politicians (both republicans and democrats, I wanna make it clear I don't dislike Bush because he's a republican). Really makes you think about "democracy." We are lucky to have all the freedoms we have, but damn, politics are a bitch.
 
images


"I hope those spiders like freedom"
 
MyHatred said:
On the Daily Show a few months back, they showed a clip of Dipshit Dubya saying that the American people are entitled to drive huge SUV's and shouldn't sacrifice their way of living or drive any less then they do. He seems to be singing a new tune now
Click to expand...

Can you say "flip-flop"? :p
 
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