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1. DougZ
   Post Count: 111 Member

   It's the five year anniversary of President Bush declaring, "Mission Accomplished."

   Truth is he was correct on two levels.

   The troops had accomplished their given mission: no WMD and remove Sadam from power. That's why the troops should be brought home or redeployed.

   Greg Palast was on Clout about a month ago and talked about the Oil cowboys true accomplished mission: A barrel of oil going from $18 in January 2001 to as a recent high of almost $120. Taking control of Iraq's oil pushed the price up. Basic economic principles of supply and demand at work.

   Palast says forget all the stuff about Sunni and Shia. In Iraq, it's all about warlords skimming off oil profits which takes place mostly in Basra which is where the oil comes out. He can be heard here: http://www.gregpalast.com/let-our-oil-go/

   Palast is an economist and says that the price at the pump could be considerably lowered if Lord Halliburton would release petro from the Strategic Petroleum Reserves. He gave HRC credit for advocating for that.

   Posted 1 week ago #

2. dublinphotog
   Post Count: 39 Member

   Not certain what Americans expected when voting for an oil man and his "government as corporation." It is no surprise the list of participants in Cheney's Energy Task Force has been stymied repeatedly by the courts, though we can pretty much guess who was there.

   Yep, the mission certainly was accomplished - it just wasn't the mission the American public thought it was going to be.

   Posted 4 days ago #

3. DougZ
   Post Count: 111 Member

   I don't follow the campaign that closely because it's 99.9% over and Obama has earned the nomination. So maybe I've missed this but I think Obama ought to be just hammering away that oil should be released from the Strategic Petro Reserves and released onto the market. There's several reasons why:

   1. It's not something the Neocons are going to want to do before attacking Iran.

   2. According to Greg Palast, who's an economist, it could really bring down the price at the pump and serve the interests of the people rather than the oil companies.

   3. It plays great politically for Obama. Clinton and McLame's gas tax holiday is a gimmick but gimmicks sometimes serve their purpose.

   Posted 3 days ago #

4. dublinphotog
   Post Count: 39 Member

   Wasn't the gas tax holiday McCain's originally? Why would Clinton borrow one of his ideas anyway? It would be different if it were a good idea, but it is a terrible one.

   Obama has said Illinois tried the gas tax holiday a couple years ago and it did not work. That's great, but he should also propose his own ideas. Demanding reserves release is a good one for the interim, but he should also propose a multi-tiered plan for what he will do as president. Repairing international relationships, controlling inflation, strengthening the dollar, increasing Detroit's mileage standards, reclassifying light trucks and other automobiles, etc. are all part of a comprehensive plan that would be long-term in scope for us. A gas tax holiday is very ephemeral in scope, just as the income tax rebate is.

   Posted 3 days ago #

5. DougZ
   Post Count: 111 Member

   I agree, DublinPhoto. We need to get away from fossil fuels. The technology exists today to make it happen. Subsidies to coal, oil and nuclear power need to be ended.

   The Eleventh Hour recently came out on DVD and only costs $5. Progressives should buy a copy and lend it out to friends.

   Posted 2 days ago #

6. dublinphotog
   Post Count: 39 Member

   If we had just kept following President Carter's lead thirty years ago, think how much better off we would be now. Reagan really turned that movement back and now we are having the same conversation we did then.

   Posted 2 days ago #

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