We should have seen this coming...

Our nation elected a pair of oilmen with the notion that they would bring a CEO mentality to government. They promised to bring a private sector management style, streamline policy and execution, and create an innovative energy strategy drawing from their extensive experience in the industry. What we should have known and now realize is that they brought an oil company CEO mentality to government. The best insight into this mentality came from Dick Cheney when he basically said conservation is a personal virtue but not the basis for a sound energy policy. With crude consistently above $70 a barrel, we are pursuing foreign (Iraq, Iran, etc.) and domestic (ANWAR, lack of mass transit or efficiency standard support) policies ensuring further windfall profits for Big Oil. Coupled with the ever-growing demand from China, plenty of petroleum analysts believe that prices with run up to over $100. So, at this point, does anyone still believe that this Administration is going to try to curb the growth in the price of gas? Does anyone still believe that they give a shit about how $4 gas is going to squeeze consumers? Does anyone think that these Big Oil barons are going to lift a finger to improve public transportation and give people the option of getting out of their cars?

The answer is a big, fat, oil soaked no. The only unanswered question is which meaningless social issue is going to be trotted out to distract us from this looming crisis. Gay marriage? Flag burning? Abortion? Creationism? War on Christmas? I am sure that Fox News with let us know soon enough.