We're All Democrats Now

It has come to this. A Republican president, joined by a hapless Republican congress is now calling for investigations into price gouging and the all purpose phrase, "corporate greed".

Excuse me, but what the hell is going on?

More of that Rovian genius I keep hearing the libbies talk about I guess, so I suppose all of this is above me, but were I to be completely candid, and I think that is exactly what I'll be, I'd call it the dumbest political strategy to come down the pike in quite awhile. As you all know, I like facts, so lets see what we have.

1. The current spike in oil prices has nothing to do with "corporate greed"
2. There is nothing in the short term that can be done about lowering oil (read gas) prices unless we were to suspend taxes at the pump.
3. It is unclear that increased oil prices are at the margin a bad thing. Painful, yes, but bad, hard to say.
4. This nation has done nothing to develop a long-term strategic energy policy over the past quarter century.
5. Both political parties are responsible for this, but it is an undeniable fact that there is far greater fault with liberal environmental groups and their enablers, the Democrats.

So the question then is why, when the whole sorry history of this country's energy policy ineptitude comes home to roost in the form of high gas prices, do the Republicans choose to follow the political strategy of the Democrats. As a reminder, the Democrats are the same party that has managed to lose 70% of the last 10 presidential elections and both houses of congress. Investigations, price controls, wind fall profits taxes, anything but drill for more oil and build nuke plants, these have been the sorry suggestions of the Democrats. What a brilliant idea then to turn to their playbook now that the failure of their generation of obstruction is obvious to all.

Where is our Republican president? Look, I've never believed the guy was a conservative, but for goodness sake, his proposals today are so pathetic it is almost not to be believed. Then the beauty part. I'm watching FOX News this morning and Bill Frist, the doctor who looks like a mortician, is on and actually suggests......now I'm warning you hang on to your hats because this is gonna be good......he actually suggesst that we make sure our cars are tuned up because that will make them more efficient.

Beautiful, friggin beautiful man. Where do they get this stuff? Tune up my car? Investigate the oil companies? I swear man I damn near expect Bush to be on my TV soon complaining about the great maliase that has spread across the land. Really, if I wanted Jimmy Carter - the worst president in the history of the U.S. - back in office I would have voted for the guy.

Now is the time for leadership. Where are the speeches, the calls to action. Where is the national energy policy that proposes new drilling, nuke construction, and in a throw away to the Democrats, "alternative fuels studies". A bill should be going before congress in the next 10 days with a demand for action before the summer recess. Bush could remind people that had his policy been passed back in '01 we'd be five years down the road by now.

How hard is this stuff?

Look, nobody said being president was easy and there is no question that Bush has had it much harder than most. He is leading a country that is at war, fighting an enemy with no homefront, in a war with no clear battle lines and is hobbled by an unloyal Democratic party that cynically insists that "Bush lied and people died". Yes these people are liars. Yes they put party favor above love of country and yes, dealing with such treachery must be tiring.

Really though, those of us who are idealogically inclined to support the president have nothing, nothing to rally around and it has been this way since Bush won re-election in 2004. I'm sorry George, but we didn't vote you back in office so you could take a four year victory lap. We voted for you, some of us with our eye shut on the whole spending thing, because we needed action, we needed a leader and we knew that John Kerry was even less up to the job than you were.

Wake. Up. Now.