Bush and the GOP are creatures -- and captives -- of big oil. They must long for the days when they could decide energy policy in Cheney's office and no one paid attention. Now that gas prices are a major political problem, the Repubs don't know how to deal with it. Combine that with the low approval ratings for Bush and Congress and panic is setting in:
The response so far has been profiles in panic. Some conservatives dropped their philosophical opposition to tax hikes and business regulations and began complaining loudly about oil companies and the auto industry.The entire Bush Administration has been a political stunt.
President Bush last week announced that he wanted the authority to raise fuel economy standards on automobiles. One aide acknowledged the idea was devised on the fly, with almost no planning or discussion among relevant agencies. This became obvious within hours when White House officials cautioned that Bush had no immediate plan to use the authority even if he had it.
A few days earlier, Bush backed diverting crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve, an idea he dismissed less than two years earlier as a political stunt.
