A MATCH MADE IN PETROLEUM
by Joan Vennochi
From the from rising gasoline prices sure can make a fella melt.
Looking macho but sensitive, President Bush held hands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah and the two men kissed. Like Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, the two leaders engaged in a public display of affection that delighted comics and Democrats everywhere. ''What happens in Crawford stays in Crawford," joked Jay Leno, in a ''Tonight" show take-off on the Las Vegas tourism commercials. And humorist Andy Borowitz said, ''After the picture came out, President Bush reiterated his opposition to gay marriage -- unless one of the partners has several billion barrels of petroleum."
Close physical contact is common between Arab men and considered a sign of mutual friendship and respect. But here, the gestures seemed less than sincere on Abdullah's part. The president and crown prince emerged from their meeting with no agreement that would lower gasoline prices in the near future, although the Saudi Arabian leader reiterated plans to increase oil production in coming years.
The absence of a promise for more immediate relief is not good news for Bush. With the price of crude oil hovering around $55 a barrel in recent weeks, gasoline in the United States averages $2.22 a gallon. Some analysts predict even higher gas prices this summer. And, as gas prices go up, Bush's popularity goes down.
Two new polls make a connection. In a new Gallup poll, respondents list fuel and oil prices at the top of economic problems facing the country; however when it comes to personal economic problems, the respondents list low wages and healthcare costs. Gas prices are also cited as a reason for flat consumer confidence in the latest ABC News/Washington Post survey, which puts Bush's job approval rating at 47 percent.
But John Gorman, president of Opinion Dynamics, the company that conducts the Fox News poll, cautions that it is hard to isolate gas prices as the sole driving force behind Bush's sinking poll numbers. Other factors also drag down Bush's popularity and job approval ratings: The president continues to push an unpopular proposal to change Social Security; Republican Party leaders face ethics questions; and the GOP angered the American public by taking up the Terri Schiavo case. The continuing GOP charge to commingle politics and religion is also controversial. Meanwhile, Iraq hovers in the background.
Still, said Gorman, ''There's no doubt you see consumer confidence dropping. All the national polls show people are pessimistic about the economy. This is clearly driven in large part by gas prices. When you drive into the gas station and it costs $35 to fill up your tank, when it has been $20 as long as you can remember, that does something to you."
Gasoline prices make the average American driver scowl and shake his fist at the gas pump. They also make an American president hold hands with a crown prince as they sashay down a path of Texas bluebonnets.
Saudi officials are said to be seeking to improve their relationship with the United States, which suffered after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Fifteen of the 19 suspected terrorists were Saudi citizens. However, US economic realities, and their political implications for Bush, currently strengthen the Saudi hand.
Bush and Abdullah issued a joint statement pledging cooperation in the war on terror, a promise to work together toward a peaceful settlement between the Palestinians and Israel and support for Syrian withdrawal from Lebanon. The joint statement cited US appreciation for the Saudi pledges to increase oil production. And it also said the two countries would work together ''with the aim of welcoming Saudi Arabia" into the World Trade Organization. In an editorial headlined ''Abdullah at the Ranch," the New York Sun pointed out that while the WTO is dedicated to free trade, Saudi Arabia maintains a strict economic boycott of Israel. Asked the Sun: ''Why should America support membership in a free trade organization for a country that by its actions has shown its hatred of Israel outweighs its interest in free trade?" The answer, is of course, oil.
Under pressure to address rising gas costs, Bush is outlining new steps to increase domestic energy prodution, including incentives that could result in construction of nuclear-power plants and building oil refineries on abandoned military bases. But the president has already acknowledged it would take years before the ideas generate results.
The pressure is on Bush, and the leverage remains, as always, with Abdullah. The US-Saudi relationship went beyond hand-holding a long time ago.
© 2005 Boston Globe |
