Today, in the WH press briefing, McClellan described the increase in oil prices as being related to increased demand of energy by China and India. How fortunate for them that the price of oil has nothing to do with the war in Iraq. I’ll have to check the oil demand calendar to see how their demand has gone up by the equivalent of 45 cents, in the last 10 days. Their economies must be on a roll.

Doing a little research into oil prices and the admin I was drawn to Bush’s ‘Jawbone’ comment while running for president. We get a great preview of our future (blowhard) Pres, basically implying that Clinton is impotent but that W would change oil prices by sheer personality. (We all missed the messianic warning). These quotes might make some squeamish: (emphasis mine)

"Ours is a nation that helped Kuwait and the Saudis, and you'd think we'd have the capital necessary to convince them to increase the crude supplies," he said.

Asked why the Clinton administration had not been able to use the power of personal persuasion, Mr. Bush said: "The fundamental question is, 'Will I be a successful president when it comes to foreign policy?' "

He went on to suggest, as he did in answer to other questions, that voters should simply trust him.

"I will be," he said in answer to his own question about whether he would be a successful president. "But until I'm the president, it's going to be hard for me to verify that I think I'll be more effective."

I know that it may seem unfair to some to just pull a quote from a guys past...well...think of all the quotes that Kerry got hammered with...by Bush.

So what we have now is an admin that is impotent. It can’t effect oil prices in any significant way, except up. (Maybe W’s jawbone is tired, due to all his jawboning in support of his failed policies).

Of course the situation has changed since W made his remarks. What we need to realize is that W was the major influence in the changes we now have to deal with. It is the obvious negligence that is owned by his admin, it was his positive choices, Afghan and Iraq that have exposed the weaknesses of his policies. Katrina, Harriett Miers, post Katrina and the Dubai ports deal are all just boils on an incompetent, egotistical, obviously Republican govt.

It is no small chance that a govt supported and corrupted by the same people who believe that the Federal govt should be small enough to drown in a bathtub, might not be up to the task of effectively running the Federal govt. What is odd and opposite their stated beliefs, is that their taste for Federal dollars to support their earmarked pork projects only increased as their power increased.

What a reality. The same party that previously supported less govt, was now actively and frantically spending their borrowed Federal money as fast as their congress could slip it through to W to sign.

Spending borrowed money is much easier than fiscal responsibility.

Whatever happened to ‘No Taxation without Representation’? How could the glory of the Republican Party, (less taxes, less govt), fall so completely?