- Dec 24, 2000
- 6,133
- 219
- 106
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05...leeast/18prexyweb.html
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt ? President Bush said Saturday that Saudi Arabia?s decision to boost oil production by 300,000 barrels a day is ?something, but it doesn?t solve our problem,? and he called again on Congress to approve legislation allowing more oil exploration at home.
Mr. Bush, who is in Egypt to meet with regional leaders, spoke the day after he raised the issue of oil production and high gas prices in a private meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the king?s horse farm outside Riyadh. The White House said the president had hoped to persuade the king to release enough oil to drive down prices and give American consumers some relief at the pump.
But Mr. Bush was largely unsuccessful ? the 300,000 barrels a day will not drive down prices, both the White House and analysts said. Back in Washington, Democrats are criticizing Mr. Bush, saying he made only a half-hearted appeal.
On Saturday, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr. Bush pushed back at that criticism, saying he made his message clear to both the king and his oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, who Mr. Bush said had flown home from Korea to meet with him at the king?s request.
?I said very plainly, I said, ?You?ve got to be concerned about the effects of high oil prices on some of the biggest customers in the world,? Mr. Bush said. ?And not only that, of course, high energy prices is going to cause countries like mine to accelerate our move toward alternative energy.?
It was the second time in five months that Mr. Bush had raised the issue of oil prices with the king; the first was in January, during another visit to the ranch. Then, as now, the Saudis rebuffed Mr. Bush?s request, although the government?s decision to increase production ? made a week ago ? softened the blow this time.
The Saudis? long standing position is that they are willing to pump more oil ? but only if their customers, the refineries, demand it. The oil minister, Mr. Naimi, told reporters in Riyadh on Friday that the government had decided on May 10 to boost production by 300,000 barrels a day in response to requests from customers, mostly in the United States.
?Our response is positive,? Mr. Naimi said, adding, ?What we have said is, ?Let the buyer come and we will satisfy his request. Very simple business: If you want more oil, who?s going to buy the oil??
Some analysts believe the Saudis were responding as much to pressure from Democrats in Congress as Mr. Bush. Congress passed legislation this week ordering the Bush administration to suspend shipments to the strategic petroleum reserve, and the administration said Friday it would comply.
And some Democrats are calling for sanctions on the Saudis, such as refusing to sell them arms, if they do not open the oil spigots.
Here in Sharm el Sheikh, a resort city on the Red Sea where Mr. Bush was to meet Saturday with the leaders of Egypt, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Bush said he was pleased with the Saudi decision, though he said he is realistic enough to know that it will not make a dent in prices.
And Mr. Bush took aim at Democrats in Congress, who have repeatedly blocked his proposals to allow oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
?One of the interesting things about American politics these days,? Mr. Bush said, ?is, those who are screaming the loudest for increased production from Saudi Arabia are the very same people who are fighting the fiercest against domestic exploration, against the development of nuclear power and against expanding refining capacity.?
Does it really take a rise in oil costs to advance alternative energy? Shouldn't we have been doing this from day 1? Who's getting rich here?
I see this as tax payers are the one getting screwed from shamed / corrupted big oil deals... I guess this is nothing new tho.
I'm all for domestic exploration ... the problem is. I am thinking it cost a lot more to find and get it out of the ground ... I find it ironic that he tells the king one thing then turns around and tells us a bunch of bullshit. Shouldn't the headline state Bush calls for more advancements in alternative energy?
Like maybe building cars that get 60-70 MPG? What? Toyota already has one. Why can't we one up em better? Can't we lower the gas guzzler to 25MPG cars ? And 20 MPG for Trucks? Use the tax to pay for advancements in better MPG cars? How hard is this arithmetic question? Get better fuel millage burn less oil spend less at the pump....
Am I missing something?
SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt ? President Bush said Saturday that Saudi Arabia?s decision to boost oil production by 300,000 barrels a day is ?something, but it doesn?t solve our problem,? and he called again on Congress to approve legislation allowing more oil exploration at home.
Mr. Bush, who is in Egypt to meet with regional leaders, spoke the day after he raised the issue of oil production and high gas prices in a private meeting with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia at the king?s horse farm outside Riyadh. The White House said the president had hoped to persuade the king to release enough oil to drive down prices and give American consumers some relief at the pump.
But Mr. Bush was largely unsuccessful ? the 300,000 barrels a day will not drive down prices, both the White House and analysts said. Back in Washington, Democrats are criticizing Mr. Bush, saying he made only a half-hearted appeal.
On Saturday, here in Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr. Bush pushed back at that criticism, saying he made his message clear to both the king and his oil minister, Ali al-Naimi, who Mr. Bush said had flown home from Korea to meet with him at the king?s request.
?I said very plainly, I said, ?You?ve got to be concerned about the effects of high oil prices on some of the biggest customers in the world,? Mr. Bush said. ?And not only that, of course, high energy prices is going to cause countries like mine to accelerate our move toward alternative energy.?
It was the second time in five months that Mr. Bush had raised the issue of oil prices with the king; the first was in January, during another visit to the ranch. Then, as now, the Saudis rebuffed Mr. Bush?s request, although the government?s decision to increase production ? made a week ago ? softened the blow this time.
The Saudis? long standing position is that they are willing to pump more oil ? but only if their customers, the refineries, demand it. The oil minister, Mr. Naimi, told reporters in Riyadh on Friday that the government had decided on May 10 to boost production by 300,000 barrels a day in response to requests from customers, mostly in the United States.
?Our response is positive,? Mr. Naimi said, adding, ?What we have said is, ?Let the buyer come and we will satisfy his request. Very simple business: If you want more oil, who?s going to buy the oil??
Some analysts believe the Saudis were responding as much to pressure from Democrats in Congress as Mr. Bush. Congress passed legislation this week ordering the Bush administration to suspend shipments to the strategic petroleum reserve, and the administration said Friday it would comply.
And some Democrats are calling for sanctions on the Saudis, such as refusing to sell them arms, if they do not open the oil spigots.
Here in Sharm el Sheikh, a resort city on the Red Sea where Mr. Bush was to meet Saturday with the leaders of Egypt, Afghanistan and the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Bush said he was pleased with the Saudi decision, though he said he is realistic enough to know that it will not make a dent in prices.
And Mr. Bush took aim at Democrats in Congress, who have repeatedly blocked his proposals to allow oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
?One of the interesting things about American politics these days,? Mr. Bush said, ?is, those who are screaming the loudest for increased production from Saudi Arabia are the very same people who are fighting the fiercest against domestic exploration, against the development of nuclear power and against expanding refining capacity.?
Does it really take a rise in oil costs to advance alternative energy? Shouldn't we have been doing this from day 1? Who's getting rich here?
I see this as tax payers are the one getting screwed from shamed / corrupted big oil deals... I guess this is nothing new tho.
I'm all for domestic exploration ... the problem is. I am thinking it cost a lot more to find and get it out of the ground ... I find it ironic that he tells the king one thing then turns around and tells us a bunch of bullshit. Shouldn't the headline state Bush calls for more advancements in alternative energy?
Like maybe building cars that get 60-70 MPG? What? Toyota already has one. Why can't we one up em better? Can't we lower the gas guzzler to 25MPG cars ? And 20 MPG for Trucks? Use the tax to pay for advancements in better MPG cars? How hard is this arithmetic question? Get better fuel millage burn less oil spend less at the pump....
Am I missing something?
Facebook
Twitter