by Nicholas Beaudrot of Electoral Math
From today's media appearance by the sweater-wearer-in-chief:
MILWAUKEE Feb 20, 2006 (AP)— Seeking to fuel his own agenda, President Bush encouraged Americans to change their energy consumption habits and help move the nation away from its reliance on oil.
...
"By changing our driving habits," Bush said, "we change our dependency on foreign sources of oil."
Let's be very clear on this. Reducing oil usage is a good idea for a variety of reasons. But as Bush was fond of saying in the 2000 campaign, he can't just wave a magic wand to change America's driving habits spontaneously. It requires actual, you know, policy changes. So until the government stops cutting the budget for the National Renewable Energy Laboratory and starts advocating strong medicine for our energy uses (gas tax increases, CAFE standards, massive subsidies to wind, nuclear, and other greenhouse gas-free power sources), there's no reason to take a few speeches seriously.
