Remember when gas was $2.00/gallon? Remember all the fuss that Republicans like Dennis Hastert raised back in the summer of 2000? Remember President Clinton claiming it was the result of price gouging on the part of the oil companies? Remember how the oil companies blamed the spike in prices on the switch to ethanol blends? From the CNN Archives comes a little reminder of the good ol' days of June 2000,

Expressing concern that higher gas prices could keep the U.S. economy from running smoothly, Clinton suggested that crude oil prices ideally should be 'somewhere in the neighborhood of $20 to $25 a barrel.'

That price range, Clinton said, gives oil companies 'the revenue they need ... and it doesn't bankrupt people who have to have fuel in substantial quantities.'

In recent weeks, U.S. crude oil prices have edged above $32 a barrel.

That's right, gas used to cost $2.00/gallon and a barrel of oil a mere $32/barrel. Since George Bush and his oil man VP Dick Cheney have been in power a barrel of oil has doubled in price. That's right doubled. Of course in the nearly six years they've been in power the dynamic duo has done very little to improve the fuel economy of the cars and trucks sold by the major auto makers, to encourage conservation, or to encourage the development of renewal sources of energy. It's even unlikely that Bush ever even called up his pals in Saudi Arabia and asked them to do something about increasing the supply of oil--it's just like flicking a switch. The dynamic duo has, on the other hand, pushed for handouts for oil companies. Funny that.

Funny too how despite all those handouts and nearly six years of practice the oil companies still haven't figured out how to switch over to ethanol blends without causing price spikes resulting in higher profits. Seems no one, despite the millions of dollars in salary, has thought to produce ethanol blends year round. Funny that.

Of course back in the summer of 2000, Dennis Hastert blamed Clinton for the $2.00/gallon gas.

Hastert said the White House has failed to protect consumers.

"If we don't have an energy policy in this country and we rely too much on foreign energy, and we let OPEC dictate what the price of oil is in this country, our consumers suffer," Hastert said. "So I would think we need to have a better and stronger energy policy in this country."

Of course, it only took Hastert and his Rubber Stamp Congress four years or so to pass an energy policy a give away to the oil companies. I'm waiting for Hastert to blame Bush and Cheney for $3.00/gallon gas. It might be a long wait, but it might happen because back in the summer of 2000 he was very concerned that consumers were "paying more dollars to take their kids to daycare, to go to work, to take their family on vacation." And that was when gas was only $2.00/gallon. Shit he must be spitting mad now. Maybe if gas hits $3.50/gallon or maybe when it hits $4.00/gallon, Dennis boy will blame Bush and Cheney. Of course, before he blames Bush and Cheney, he'll push for the repeal of the gas tax because the solution to every problem is a tax cut. And don't be surprised if that tax cut bill includes another give away to the oil companies. Maybe some language about how oil companies don't have to pay taxes at all?
posted by Idle Crank at 4/22/2006 03:41:00 AM