Razorbak, This Gore speech "takes the cake". I mean- It is just unbelievable. Where the h--- was Al Gore in 1998-1999 when over 100,000 people lost their jobs in the domestic oil & gas industry???
"Plus sa chose, plus c'est la meme chose" is the way the French put it. Al Gore reminds me of some famous historical figures,namely the Gracchi brothers, Tiberius and Gaius circa 140 B.C. in Roman politics, and their Gracchian Agrarian Reforms.
I am convinced that Gore is a reincarnation of one of those two first ever Roman demagogues....Well his speech was pretty audacious. When you sat on your posterior for the last eight years and let the whole energy industry infrastructure in the U.S. deteriorate (that's the oil & gas AND power industries), then blame those industries for the logical problems that have been directly created because of this vacuum of leadership.
Well Mr. Gore- You can run but you cannot hide. You might get elected by your demagoguery- However that's not going to solve the cumulative infrastructural problems in two basic industries....
Gore turns attention to oil again
Meanwhile, after seeing his poll numbers rise by criticizing unpopular industries such as health insurers and drug manufacturers, Gore signaled a new focus on the oil industry as fears of winter shortages mounted in Washington.
Gore said Americans "are being taken advantage of in an unfair way" by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). He said exporters need to fulfill their promises to produce more oil, and he again said the government may need to put oil companies under scrutiny.
"The basic question is whether or not you're going to have a president who is willing to fight for the people as against big oil and foreign oil, whether you have someone who's willing to stand up to them or not and I've never hesitated to do that," Gore told CNN.
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Oil prices on the international markets hit a 10-year high this week, which could undermine the economic strength that has underpinned Gore's campaign.
Bush has said he would use diplomacy -- and a reminder of who helped defend Arab states in the 1991 Persian Gulf war -- to coax OPEC nations into boosting production.
Earlier this summer, when gasoline prices topped $2 a gallon in some cities, Gore accused the oil industry of gouging consumers -- and tried to link Bush, a former oil company executive, to the problem. The vice president implied Wednesday that Bush would not be willing to take on the oil companies like he would.
"We're going to see the fundamental difference in this campaign," he said. "I'm not hesitant to take on the big oil companies or foreign oil. We need to protect the interests of the American people, and I assure you, I'm willing to do that."
Gore said he would deliver specific proposals Thursday.
Members of Congress from New England have urged the White House to take action to prevent a shortage of home heating oil during the upcoming winter. Most of them want President Clinton to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve.
Energy Secretary Bill Richardson, following what he called a "frank" discussion with members of the New England Congressional Caucus, said only that the president is considering a number of options. |
