UPDATE:
in April 2006 she was blaming that darn Republican congress for these high prices:
With skyrocketing gas prices, it is clear that the American people can no longer afford the Republican Rubber Stamp Congress and its failure to stand up to Republican big oil and gas company cronies. Americans this week are paying $2.91 a gallon on average for regular gasoline – 33 cents higher than last month, and double the price than when President Bush first came to office.
“With record gas prices, record CEO pay packages, and record oil company profits, Speaker Hastert and the Majority Congress continue to give the American people empty rhetoric rather than join Democrats who are working to lower gas prices now.
Chart via See-Dubya using a little chart-making tool at Gasbuddy
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I guess single digit approval will make a person do just about anything:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling on President Bush to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to bring down prices.
Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced to Democratic leaders Tuesday night that she has written a letter to President Bush, urging him to release a “small” amount of oil from the government stockpile to increase supply and decrease prices, a leadership aide said.
In the letter, Pelosi said the price of a barrel of oil has risen nearly five-fold during Bush’s tenure and called the effects “devastating.”
“These are the kind of circumstances, in addition to national security, in which utilization of the Strategic Petroleum Reserve is more than justified,” Pelosi wrote in the letter, dated Tuesday.
The reserve comprises a series of Gulf Coast salt caverns that house the largest emergency oil stockpile in the world. It currently holds 706 million barrels, about 97 percent of the reserve’s 727 million barrel capacity. That’s the most the reserve has ever held and would replace foreign supplies for about 58 days.
It is not clear what impact a release would have on current prices. The U.S. uses about 20 million barrels of oil a day.
Really? Really Nancy, the incompetence of Congress is a reason to release the Strategic Petroleum Reserve? I don’t think so!  A 58 day supply is not a whole lot, and keep in mind that Pelosi Has No Idea What We Pay For Gas.
MM had this press release from John Boehner’s office:
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) today released the following statement on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) call for President Bush to release supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve:
“With her call for President Bush to release supplies from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, the Speaker is admitting yet again that increasing the supply of oil will help reduce the price of gasoline. I agree that more supply is necessary, and so do my House Republican colleagues who have been arguing for decades in favor of more American energy production. The fact is, the American people expect and deserve far more than what Speaker Pelosi is proposing. House Republicans stand ready to work across the aisle on a real solution to our energy crisis: an ‘all of the above’ plan that increases production of American energy, encourages conservation, and promotes alternative fuels.
“Until the Speaker and her colleagues in the liberal Democratic leadership of Congress unlock our nation’s vast natural energy resources, consumers will continue to see skyrocketing prices at the pump. Gas prices have soared 75 percent on the Democrats’ watch, and the American people are fed up with their endless excuses. Families and small businesses are paying historic prices thanks to more than three decades of Democratic opposition to American energy production – all to protect the interests of their environmental extremist allies. In poll after poll, Americans are saying ‘enough is enough’ and demanding more production of American energy. Today’s proposal by Speaker Pelosi is another acknowledgment that we must do more to increase our energy supply, and House Republicans will continue pushing Democratic leaders to act on real reforms on behalf of the American people.”
BS Pelosi is desperate, clueless, and a treasonous snake.
Let’s see, and Dubya’s energy plan for the past 8 years was to believe that it and Global Warming didn’t exist…
On the contrary NY-David. The POTUS put forth the plan to drill 7 years ago, but was told it was pointless because it would take 5 years to come on line. In April 2001, the talk of hydrogen came up, but again the far left shot that down. Global Warming is not the issue, energy independence is. Viable sources of alternative fuels are the issue, but until we can produce them at an affordable cost to all consumers, we are stuck with petroleum.
I agree and think the debate of Anwar drilling vs using the national stockpiles still skirt the main issue of getting off petroleum as much as we do. I’m interested and will research as well any effort, right, left or center to shoot down the use of hydrogen. The issue there has always been a concern about distribution. Now that Honda has a viable product, some gas stations have mentioned that they will start carrying it.
The only mentions of strategy I’ve seen from Dubya is the “scolding” speech in ’06 saying that Americans have to cut their addiction to oil and recent attempts to get the Saudis to drill more. Not much from what I see.
NY-David
NY-David,
I updated the post and will get back to you with dates of energy speeches. Keep in mind one thing though, at the time that you say GWB was denying GW, he and all of us, were also being told by reporters that GW was the greatest threat facing us! It isn’t nor will it ever be.
Here is a google serch from the White House archives on energy policy
About the only aircraft that will fly without oil is a dirigible. I kind of doubt business travellers are going to opt for that La to Ny in 2 weeks plan. As much as the techie crowd may think that videoconferencing is the only way to do business, there is really nothing like face to face contact.
There is a simple way to get gas prices down. Force congress members to pay for their own cars, gas and insurance. Once the price at the pump starts hitting them in their wallets a bit, they might get a clue. Just maybe considering they’re mostly very wealthy. Frequently from graft, or sweetheart deals from influence peddlers.
Bush has been far closer to being on target with regard to a real energy independence strategy than mentally-ill Pelosi or anything that has come from the Democrites.
Pelosi and the Democrites are such liars, such fools, such monumentally ignorant and incompetent idiots I marvel continuously how they maintain their power and positions.
Bush’s policy sounds good, but I don’t see any evidence of it in practical use. To be fair, at least he has one. While Pelosi is no gift, neither she, nor the previous leadership had one either.
While I support drilling in ANWAR and other areas, I don’t see this as a long term strategy. McCain’s policy is actually pretty gutsy as he wants to begin with the Federal Governemnt to lead the way in having a hybrid fleet of its cars (the largest fleet in the world).
Yes, its me actually complementing McCain.
NYD
Drilling in Anwar and the Outer continental shelf is not intended to be a long term strategy if your idea of long term means multi generational. We have enough oil and other fossil fuels to power this country for over 60 years depending on growth. We just have to get the environmentalist whackos out of the way. Stop the lawsuits that do nothing but prevent us from getting the fuel we need to actually be able to build the labs to develop and the factories to produce the economically viable alternative fuel sources. Labs and factories take money to build and operate. Money is produced through increased production. Causing factories that increase the GDP to close for want of available energy, or because of excessive taxation is slitting our own throats.
Using the judiciary to stop production on the grounds that something MIGHT happen is ludicrous. Make the penalty for an oil spill high enough, and the oil company will insure that not a drop hits the ground. When I was in the Army, the motor pool storm drains ran into a local stream. The EPA informed us that vehicle oil drips would contaminate the stream and we were to put drip pans under every vehicle engine, transmission and differential to prevent it. With a fine of $10,000 per vehicle found not so equipped, we made damn sure every vehicle had a drip pan under it. We also made sure that any oil that did manage to drip onto the concrete motor pool, was cleaned up with dry sweep and removed.