This is politics. Ask Israel to hold off until after 2012, (trust me, it's not about the elections), offer to speed up the pipeline you opposed, (trust me it's not about the elections), blah-blah-blah!!!!

I support the pipeline,I don't oppose it.The Democrats believe this act will get them more conservative votes,but it won't.

Guys you know this could about keeping this oil In this country, and not for export ?

If were going to take the chance of spills and contamination We should reap some gains

I'm trying to find it now but I could have sworn that I had read that Oil that is harvested off of federal lands does have to be sold in the United States. Who are the ones that are constantly blocking harvesting of oil off of Federal lands?

http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/2012/03/15/fossil-fuel-production-on-federal-lands-at-9-year-low/

• Fossil fuel (coal, oil, and natural gas) production on Federal and Indian lands is the lowest in the 9 years EIA reports data and is 6 percent less than in fiscal year 2010.
• Crude oil and lease condensate production on Federal and Indian lands is 13 percent lower than in fiscal year 2010.
• Natural gas production on Federal and Indian lands is the lowest in the 9 years that EIA reports data and is 10 percent lower than in fiscal year 2010.
• Natural gas plant liquids production on Federal and Indian lands is 3 percent lower than in fiscal year 2010.
• Coal production on Federal and Indian lands is the lowest in the 9 years of data that EIA reported and is 2 percent lower than in fiscal year 2010.

Wait I thought we were producing more oil than ever before?

I'll keep looking to see if fossils fuels harvested off of federal lands has to be sold in the U.s. market. My apologies if I'm incorrect on that point.

How can anyone defend this crap as anything but politics? TransCanada hasn't even asked for a permit to build a pipeline where the President says we can go ahead and build it. And he just happens to call it the southern leg of the TransCanada Keystone pipeline? This President is a joke, and getting funnier eveyday. Say goodby, sir.

This is a terrible mistake. It's not as though we don't know of problems with pipelines in that region. Take a look at this. http://didyouknow.org/oil-leak-in-alaskas-troubled-pipelines/

I hope you noted the maintenance issues. How many times have we seen private enterprise failures as a result of poor maintenance? How many times have taxpayers picked those costs up. Superfund anyone?

What they are proposing to transport through the Keystone Pipeline is far worse than we think. Take a look at this. http://kavika.newsvine.com/_news/2012/03/08/10614176-spill-from-hell-diluted-bitumen-tar-sands-oil-kalamazoo-river-michigan

Go ahead, Republican mental lightweights. Tell us it can't happen. Tell us we didn't have well blowouts in the Gulf of Mexico. Tell us the Exxon Valdez never happened and that the spill has been cleaned up. Tell us this didn't happen because your cheap energy needs are more important than clean air, water, and soil, and your children and your grandchildren. Help us feel the love.

Mr. President, this project should be stopped until the owners guarantee they will cover all the costs of any and all spills and that they will not affect the quality of our air, water, and soil.

David Walker..... I am sorry to say but you do present yourself as a fool. I guess some just can not help themselves. Your buddy Clotho appears to be running in the same race you are.

Quick, take a poll. How am I supposed to get the most voters on my side today? They are mad about oil, so it's bad. No, today they don't like paying for gas so we need the pipeline. No, today it's the environment so we'll shut down their permit requests because the 3 months we've been looking at them can be described as less than the 6 weeks we want and we need more time.

I'm in for the pipeline- if the President also sets up new refining capacity (having just shut down 2 major refineries). There are 21 pipelines in the US now, the new one would be built to the latest environmental safety standards. The others aren't leaking (or I'd guess we'd be hearing a lot about it), so the new one can only be better. Lastly, if the government gets it's inspections programs upgraded (actually inspect what they say they do and not just give awards) it should be better than before. Yes, nothing is perfect, but it would be better and offer us some strategic infrustructure for when the Middle East war starts up.

I agree with vageorge

David Walker - Maybe we should just continue to waste billions of tax dollars on green energy. The only reason this idea from Presidnet Obama is a "terrible mistake", as you call it, is because it is strictly political on his part. But we will see more and more of these dumb ideas from him as his poll numbers decline. It will be fun to watch.

Yeah we shouldn't invest in any sort of alternative energy JH. Oil is limitless.

Its not like we don't know about the problems with Nuclear reactors and Energy but that's ok simply because it doesn't pump out CO2?

How about the 108 abandoned federal sites that are uninhabitable due to nuclear contamination and will probably never be able to be cleaned up? How the 87,000 metric tons of spent nuclear fuel sitting around at nuclear reactors all across the country because the U.S. has no policy for the by products of nuclear reactors?

At least you can, see taste, smell and clean up an oil spill and return the land to productive use in a few years.

If there's a serious accident at a nuclear facility do you really believe the government is going to give you the truth as timely as possible before you are exposed or do you think they will be more concerned with not causing a panic?

Look at what happened in Japan. No there's not a Problem, Boom. We have every thing under control, Boom. The situation is contained, Boom.

I never could find anything about U.S. resources having to be sold in the U.S., only that they have to pay fees, royalties. lease the land and pay a percentage of the profit, etc and the government has done a piss poor job of that.

My apologies if that lead to any misunderstandings.

I did find this though.

Apparently Bill Clinton was the First to sign a bill granting Royalty relief in 1995. But I thought it was all them Republicans?

Not that Bush didn't continue the trend.

http://www.opencongress.org/wiki/U.S._federal_oil_and_gas_royalties

Past changes to federal oil and gas royalty policy

Deep Water Royalty Relief Act (S.395)

In 1995, both houses of Congress passed and President Bill Clinton signed the Deep Water Royalty Relief Act (S.395), which granted a royalty "holiday" to oil and gas companies drilling in government-owned deep waters in the Gulf of Mexico for leases sold between 1996 and 2000. Specifically, under the program, companies would not have to pay the normal royalties except when market prices reached $34 a barrel for oil and $4 per thousand cubic feet for natural gas. At the time, oil and gas prices were fairly low, and supporters of the bill argued it would provide an incentive for petroleum companies to drill for oil and natural gas inside the U.S.

David Walker===A mistake??? I think you have made a mistake. We have pipelines that run across this country through many, many states and you didn't see this in your web searches? I live in New Orleans, Louisiana and close to 25% of the fuel used in this country comes through our backyards. So it's OK for my state to furnish the country with fuel but no one else? That's kinda one way don't you think?

LOL....LOL....LOL.

Flip flop....flip flop....flip flop.

Another campaign tactic. Watch out, Mr. Obama, you are going to LOSE all those Environmental votes.

Geeeez, just what is Mr. Obama going to Flip Flop on NEXT ?

Wait a minute.....here comes the Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants thingy since he hasn't done much to support his 2008 campaign promise. Guess the Latinos are the next to be thrown under the bus since most of his supporters have already been run over.

So we're going to put Americans' health at risk to help Canada sell oil to China... Just to get the Racist Right to like the President? THEY WILL NEVER LIKE HIM. This backpedaling is callous.

Toasty, enough with the "racist right" comments. When you can say something constructive and half-way truthful then you can chime in, otherwise you're only providing more evidence that the left is out of options in defending Obama's policies and his flip-flopping, and his ability to piss off every group in the nation and he world. If this was all about racism, that would probably be better than the fact that he is simply dangerous due to his ideology. Any attempts he now makes to "appear conservative" are obviously just a part of his slight-of-hand act that he puts on in the year before elections. Don't watch the hand that he shows you, watch out for the hand that you can't see.

I agree Texan.The liberals just make this stuff up out of nowhere.Calling all Republicans racists is like calling all Germans nazis or calling all Russians communists.

Alright ST, if it isn't the President's skin color, what IS the reason that the far right attacks him for doing things THEY THEMSELVES HAVE BEEN DEMANDING?

You teatards will whine and bitch about anything. Obama puts the clamps on the pipeline and you whine and bitch. Obama wants to speed up the pipeline and you whine and bitch.

Wow. He wants to support it when he wants to support it. He just CAN'T support it when the republicans ask him to. He has to do it on his own terms, at the time of his choosing.

If the republicans came up with the most absolutely brilliant plan of the universe (not that they are actually capable of doing such a thing), he'd oppose it, then later submit it as his own.

This guy is amazing!

No one on the right is whining about Obama saying he'll speed up the "review" of the pipeline what they are talking about is the constant flip flopping on issues that aren't going the way he thought they would.

The Only reason he is doing this now is because of the flak he is getting for the high gas prices.

Even if the review process is sped up that doesn't mean it will be done before Nov. If the review is not done before Nov, and Obama is reelected, any one want to take bets that his position would be "reconfigured" again?

Why just the Southern part of the Pipeline? Could it be because it doesn't cross a U.S. border therefore he has no say in the decision and is completely out of the loop and culpability.

First He tries to delay making a decision until after 2012 so it wouldn't effect his re-election campaign. Then when He is actually forced to make a decision He blames the decision he made on being rushed. Then he negates having to make a decision by removing himself form the process by supporting the part that he doesn't have to make a decision on.

Way to be a leader President Obama.

The oil companies and Canada in the past two weeks admitted that they just need the pipeline to get the TAR sands to the gulf and that it had already been contracted for sale overseas.the only benefit to the US is a few thousand temporary jobs and it will do nothing to alleviate the price of gas here. The price by the way is at the mercy of world markets and Wall street Speculation. Oh wait, that is considered Republican Free Market enterprise.

Obama only opens his mouth to change his foot! The man is a fool fake and a fraud.

Keystone has been on the engineering drawing boards for over 3 years and Obama should know but doesn't that energy is no. 1 problem. If the people don't have gas in their cars, they cant get to the voting stations to vote.

Someone should teach Obummer how to use an etch a sketch and show him why the pipeline is important. Sure as hell he can't read the blueprints.

Obummer should have had a team of engineers working alongside the Keystone engineers so that when the final plans got to him it would have been an automatic okay. Instead, he rejected everything done in the last three years.

That doesn't show the world what an incapable, unbelievably stupid idiot the man is? Wait until the final plans are on his desk and then say, "NOPE THROW THREE YEARS OF WORK DOWN THE SHI*HOLE! MY SUPPORTERS DON'T LIKE IT!" THAT TAKES BRAINS!

Here is racist Toasty McGrath carrying the msncb.com banner instilling hatred and racism, supporting incompetence and idiocy.

When the human race becomes perfect and your car never has a recall or needs servicing then we can congratulate McGrath.

But McGrath is being a racist turning an issue about energy into a referendum on the president's skin color!

If McGrath wants to turn this into an issue on the president and he has the president's direct telephone number I am outright telling McGrath to tell the president who works for me and is paid by me to show me the official highschool, college and Harvard University transcripts and his scores on the prelaw exams and how he was able to get into these schools and allow his professors to talk freely with me and the press.

Between McGrath, Obama and Msnbc.com they are turning this country into a dictatorship as to what can be said, seen and heard!

Do any of you know that we are exporting refined oil out of the country? Do any of you know that only the so-called free market (NO SUCH THING) sets the price for oil? Do any of you know that lack of refineries is one of the reasons for high oil prices?

The Keystone pipeline will deliver that rot-gut all the way the length of the USA to southern refineries and then be shipped out to China and other destinations. If the oil was for us, we could refine it just south of the Canadian border and keep it here. There is no such thing as American oil, there is only world oil.

There is more BS about oil than in a stock yard.

At the risk of being called names, I suggest we place our oil in the hands of the US Government and sell it here cheap and the hell with the international oil companies.

He's issuing a memo??????? He should be out there with a pick and shovel building it after sitting on his ass for three years letting them design it and then banning it after the documents are on his desk!

vageorge:

How very right-wing of you. You come here and say I'm wrong and then run away. SHOW ME where I'm wrong.

JH:

You say you agree with vageorge. Do you know why? Of course you don't. You only agree that I'm wrong, but neither of you can say why. As far as green energy, know this. All energy, all of it, comes from the sun. We are at the ragged edge of cheap petroleum supplies. Alternatives have been fought tooth and nail by Big Coal and Big Oil. If they're so wonderful, why do they need subsidies?

Those subsidies alone dwarf the expenditures we are making in alternatives. The economic reality is that we MUST have alternatives that do not destroy the air, water, and soil. And if you can show what I have written is untrue, do so.

Smokie lotsanumbers:

What is it with you guys and your ability to twist what someone else says? I didn't say or imply that it was OK to run pipelines through Louisiana but it was wrong elsewhere. I DID NOT SAY THAT, and that's what makes having a discussion with you people so difficult. You just make crap up.

First, one would expect Louisiana to have a great number of pipelines because of its proximity to production and secondly because it has a logical terminus for shipping. Additionally, Louisiana has wholly different weather conditions from Canada and thus will have entirely different effects on the lines.

Lastly, I'll bet none of the three of you even took the time to look at the links. In standard right-wing form you just plug your ears, scream out, "NO, NO, NO," and run away.

David Walker....congratulations for at least being consistent. Many liberals who adamantly opposed the Keystone PL previously are dead silent now that President Obama is for it.

At least you stick to your principles instead of changing with the wind.

If that were true, wouldn't he always be doing the things that are most popular in the polls? He seems to be doing what he thinks is right, not what is politically popular, right?

He is definitely not chasing poll numbers.

Then why is he now "fast-tracking" a project that he put the brakes on just a few short months ago? See I think a few months ago he had to rally his fleeing base, so he opposed the pipeline, now he has to contend with high gas prices and a general election so he is trying to do what he needs to to get reelected.

It`s nice to see some inteligent thoughts on msn

obama is used to sucking.., Just look at his record

Obama is going to suck on whatever he has to in order to be re-elected.

And this is different from every other politician how?

Rare is the day that I agree with Steven, but today is one indeed.

Moose8684....you missed a lot. Part of the proposed pipeline was supposed to go over a sensitive aquifer used for drinking water. The Governor of that state ( Nebraska I believe ) expressed concern and wanted a full study before the pipeline could be built. Obama administration was forced by republican congress to either approve it or disapprove it within a short time period, meaning that the study could not be completed before a decision to approve or disapprove would have to be made. Administration refused to approve without the study being completed ( at the request of the republican Governor of Nebraska ). They (Obama administration) never said that they were against the pipeline or that they would not approve it, they said they wanted the study completed before they approved it. Lower part of the pipeline does not go over the sensitive aquifer, and so they will speed approval of that part if the pipe line company submits request to build it. They are still insisting on a complete safety study for the sensitive areas before they make a decision to approve or disapprove that part of the project.

He IS always doing what's popular in the polls, the polls of his base. After 2010 he did learn he can't completely ignore moderates but he is walking a fine line, his radical base turns off moderates. He tried to placate his base but went too far for moderates. Now he's trying to split hairs again.

My guess is if this doesn't capture enough moderates he'll approve the rest and declare victory.

He is sucking on one thumb and sitting on another. WHAT ELSE DOES HE HAVE TO SUCK ON?

richard b-2797449 You are a man wise beyond your years!

There is going to be war with Iran, and the price of gasoline is going through the roof. The moderates are going to be so pissed off at Obummer not letting them fill up their gas tanks, that the empty factories are going to start turning out horse whips and buggies!

But wait! Since oil is going to be in short supply, the U.S. is not going to be selling gasoline to Mexico! Venezuela is not going to be sending oil to Cuba and the whole world goes BOOM!

MM-584706 Either Obummer is a fool or an idiot. He had three years to put his people in place to sit with the engineers on this project and give it the go ahead. You can't blame Republicans as Obama has two years of an all democratic congress and can't use the brains he was born with.

Hell, build it through Oklahoma and Texas. All you'll impact is a bunch of trailer parks.

Do you people not realize that the oil that doesn't spill along the way will be refined at the Gulf, and shipped overseas? ALL of it! And the concensus by people in the business is that it will RAISE the price of oil in the midwest. Do some real research, people.

He needs to call Bill Clinton so he can tell him how the trial balloon concept works. Forget principles and your conscience, if you have any. Test the political winds before you commit to anything and just do whatever is popular.

John

Do you know that the safest and cheapest way to tranport oil is with a pipeline? Do you know that there are thousands of miles of pipe in the Ogallala Aquifer right now? What makes the Keystone XL Pipeline so dangerous?

Your right John we should invest in Nuclear. How many decades, if ever, did they say it would be before the inhabitants that used to live in the 12 mile quarantine zone around Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear facility will be able to return?

The Gulf Oil spill was what three years ago? How are the gulf states doing?

I'm sure there still cleaning up after the gulf oil spill and will be for awhile but are tens of thousands of people still displaced from their homes and will never be able to return?

It is a shame that you waste your time making such foolish comments. Whose side are you on?? obama's ? The Saudi's ? Certainly not the Us and not for lessening our dependence on foreign oil. The Saudis bankrolled obama and he is paying them back by trying to keep the US dependant on their oil

VAGE: The Saudi's bankrolled Obama??????????????

Are you nuts, evidently so. If they bankrolled anyone it was the Bush family which h as made a tidy profit off of them over the years.

You of course have proof to document your absurd claim, right???

And you have proof of your absurd Bush claim?

BP did bankroll Obama, that is public record.

John......how many spills have there been on the Alaskan pipeline?

How many earthquakes in the U.S.A. How many tornadoes? How many hurricanes? How many floods? How many cold snaps destroying vegetables? How many droughts?

If you aren't prepared for what life and accidents hand out to you, then take the easy way out. There is no free ride in this life. You do the best you can and try to enjoy the short time you have here.

Hey if you don't want heating fuel, or electric energy or gasoline in your car.......go and be a beachcomber.

What are the merits? Nothing more than the a politicians playing his game.

Has little to do with hate, we are getting tired of the lies & games being played these days in DC with our freedoms & security.

DKL im amazed the gov lets you walk around on the streets, concedering the amount of brain cells you surely most have on all subject matters.

Thanks for coming in today.

Yeah all those union votes *rolls eyes*
The republicans are hardly better, they will say anything to get their votes. I am going to tell you a secret here, it is how politics works.

Pipeline construction (and oilfield for that matter) has very little "union membership". I'm really not sure where that notion got started. Regardless, Obama is simply trying to have his cake and eat it to. Leave it to him to find a way to promote the pipeline while at the same time defeat it. Brilliant, actually and my hat's off to him on that score.

There is 100% union support for the pipeline. That's why he just delayed the pipeline instead of just killing it, placate the radical left now and promise the pipeline after the election to keep unions on the hook.

He did the same thing with Israel, promise them exactly what it would take to destroy Iran's nuke program but delay the action until after the election, again satisfy the radical left now, and promise enough to bring the moderates along.

And again with Obamacare, enact the better parts of the bill now but trigger the real nasty stuff after the election.

See a pattern here?

Democrats themselves said it best, "He leads from behind". :<)

So your solution to bring the price of gasoline down is to raise the oil companies costs, and then give it back to them. I imagine you never took an economics class. Only a liberal would think that you could take a bucket of water out of one end of a pool and dump it back in the other end and raise the water level.

In case you didn't notice, the world is going in the exact opposite direction. Google China traffic jamb if you want a clue. Remember all those people on bicycles in Beijing years ago? They are all cars now.

Increased supply combined with decreased demand is the ONLY solution. We HAVE decreased demand and slightly increased supply but we should do far more drilling.

It's called the oil FUTURES market. It sets prices on where the future is expected to go. With Obama dragging his feet at every opportunity, of course prices are going up. If Saudi Arabia withholds oil from the market they are demonized, yet when Obama does it he's being responsible. Sorry, that doesn't fly.

Liberals will never admit it but Palin was right, drill baby drill. If McCain had won we'd be in much better shape now, millions of barrels coming on line just when we need it and no Obamacare. (No $1.3 trillion deficits year after year either for that matter).

Valhalla: How about we drill in your back yard and put up a nice stinky, leaky oil tank there. Drill baby drill! We can't even process the oil we're drilling now, because the refineries are shut down. And of course that's Obamas' fault too. ALL the oil coming through Keystona is going straight overseas. ALL of it! Do your research, or shut your ahole.

DKJ

Here you go. Todays price for Regular Unleaded Gas for delivery in April is 3.3517.

Go here for the chart.

http://www.barchart.com/futures/commodities/RB

You can look it up online. The fed tax is 18 cents a gallon and on top of that you have the States that also tax it and that rate varies by state.

But taxes aren't the only things. There are strict Federal Requirements for Additives, solvents, etc.. and in the summer they are required to include a certain amount of oxygenating compound, and there requirements they use a certain amount of Bio products etc.

Its not just the tax its everything refineries have to do to create the gas and comply with all federal, EPA, Transportation board etc. regulations, transporting the fuel etc.

Don't get me wrong, we are getting gouged. but the Idea that the Federal Government doesn't have anything to do with the cost of Gas is BS.

I bet eliminating that 18 cent a gallon Federal tax would help people a hell of a lot more that the 2% SS payroll tax deduction.

The problem is that 18 Cents a gallon is supposed to be for funding the Federal Dept of Transportation, paying for building infrastructure, roads, Highway projects, maintenance, etc.

Looking a the conditions of our roads, bridges, high ways ,etc.. one has to ask what they hell have they been pissing away all that money on?

According to the Energy Information Administration, in February 2008 state and federal excise taxes accounted for 13 percent of the average price per gallon of regular gasoline sold in the U.S.

That figures to just under 40 cents per gallon as a national average. However, the actual amount paid varies greatly by state. Federal taxes are a flat 18.4 cents per gallon of regular gasoline, no matter the price at the pump. State taxes range anywhere from 7.5 cents to 34 cents per gallon, according to the Federal Highway Administration. And on top of that, the oil industry points to additional taxes and fees, such as sales taxes and inspection and environmental fees, that drive up the state-local fees to as much as 45.5 cents per gallon (in California)... see http://factcheck.org/2008/04/gasoline-tax-profits/

Plus there are the taxes and royalties paid on the crude oil, drilling rights, and by the oil companies.

Exxon made a average of 9% profit after taxes for the last decade...

These are 2008 numbers on just gasoline. Taxes - 13%, Distribution/Marketing - 10%, Refining 8%, Crude oil - 69%

It is currently assumed that speculators and world events are adding 60% to the cost of crude oil...

Tarzan

Can you supply a link that says the Canadian Oil will be exported and not refined here in the US?

Tarzan.....your comment is totally absurd ! Was it meant as a joke?? if not you really need to do some research or just use some common sense.

What sense would it make to spend $billions for construction and maintenance to ship the oil to the refineries in the Gulf if you were planning to ship it from there to China? The Smaller tankers would have to load in Texas then route through the Panama canal in route to China. The larger tankers would have to go around S A . It would be a lot easier and cheaper to ship straight across the Pacific to China. Even if they had to build refineries. There is a possibility that some of the surpluses would be exported but other than that it will be used in the US and S.A.

China will pay ANY amount for oil. China can build all the carriers they need to get the oil to them. The oil companies own the oil. The government can't interfere. Who do you think they're going to sell it to? Lesson over.

It's called manufacturing a crisis then solving it. The only problem is people know he manufactured it so it backfired. He is definitely in damage control mode now.

der der der derrrr

I can't wait to watch the tea-fools squirm in rage when Obama wins in November. Should be delightful to see them panic when they finally realize the rest of the world doesn't live in their realm of circular logic and irrationality.

Yet another 2010 denier heard from. Those that ignore history are doomed to repeat it.

Is it also Obama's fault that your ability to reason has so obviously been stunted?

Do you read or watch anything besides FOX. The pipeline is for Canada and the oil companies benefit ONLY. They need a route to get it to the refineries because it has already been contracted for to sell to overseas markets. No benefit to the US. Even if it was slated for our use it wouldn't affect our prices for years. I know I'm wasting time and energy talking to folks who refuse to even consider other possibilities but it's true and only time will prove it. Damn it.

Oil companies pay more in taxes than they net in profits. When the oil companies make out so does the IRS. That's a good thing. Since they are using American refineries, that means more jobs and tax revenue, not to mention a more robust local economy.

Then who shut the refineries down so that gasoline is in short supply? Obama? Not hardly. The oil companies? Now your getting warmer.

And when the pipeline is finished, where are the 20,000 jobs? Realistic estimates are about 2,500 TEMPORARY jobs. It only takes about ten people to man a pumping station, and they're at least hundreds of miles apart. Do the math, and shut up.

I'm afraid you don't get it, CONSERVATIVE:

Some technologies need the backing of "Big Government" before they can be self sustaining. You don't think we helped out auto companies be building bridges and the Interstates?

Look at all the technology developed in the Space Program that was then turned over to industry.

All I hear from the Right on this vine is what a joke all forms of green energy are and how they all mock the Chevy Volt and want to see it fail. There was a time when Conservatives drove only domestic cars and had disdain for all those "Volvo driving Liberals" but evidently not more. Now these "patriots" root for the failure on an entire American industry.

I "get it", Ozzie, but aparently you don't.

Survival of the fittest, y'know! Keep God and government out of it.

When's the last time you saw a trilobite? Evolution based on success my friend, evolution.

If conservatives think green energy is a joke you have Obama to thank for that. Solyndra was just the first of many, Sun Power is another one, Fiskar another, and a few more I forgot the names of. Obama has not picked one winner, all losers.

Solar was a joke until China came in and made panels a commodity. Even now they are only viable if self installed. Contractor installed they still don't make sense. Environmentalists are fighting wind turbines, why are you singling out conservitives?

Finally, you can't lump all conservatives together. I am a big believer in solar and have installed 10KW on my roof. I also believe in electric cars, though they won't be viable for another 5-10 years. I am ambivalent about wind and very anti nuke.

What conservatives don't like is forcing technology before it is viable. Forcing electrics before they are viable by destroying oil pricing is economic suicide. We demonize the Volt because it is a joke, a Prius with a bigger battery at twice the price. You don't hear many slamming the Prius or the Leaf or the Ford Focus electric, or the Tesla, the later three being real game changers.

It was Bush that spent more on alternative energy research than any of his predicessors, it was Bush that removed the $3,000 limit on the alternative energy tax credit, it was Bush that put 10KW of solar on the white house, are you going to give him kudo's for that?

Here's the solar link: http://www.sma.de/en/products/references/solar-inverters/isolator/the-white-house.html

Finally, every electric coming on out now, including the Volt, were all initiated on Bush's watch. Let's hear your praise for him.

JOE: But you'll vote for Willard without seeing the slightest bit of hypocrisy, eh Joe?

Are you trying to say Obama never "Reconfigures" his campaign? His whole presidency has been an exercise in "reconfiguring".

Please note the quotes below are satire and not actual quotes from Obama.

The poles say the people are against the XL pipeline? "I'm against the XL pipeline." Gas prices are above $4.00 a gallon and people are pissed and my popularity is falling like a brick? "Ok I'm for the Southern part of the Pipeline. See I'm not against the pipeline I was just rushed to make a decision."

The people are against military action in Libya? 'I'm against military action in Libya." What the UN just passed a multinational resolution to enforce a no fly zone in Libya? "I'm for enforcing the Libya no fly zone." I'll even send in our military without congressional approval.

"Were going to close Gitmo and bring the "alleged Terrorists" to the continental U.S." What, the people say no way, and are pissed? "O.k. were not going to bring the 'Alleged Terrorists to the U.S."

"Where going to give the terrorists the same rights as U.S. citizens and try them in Civilian court." What? Again? "Ok fine we'll leave them were there at."

"Sandra Fluke I called you to apologize for Rush Lymba's remarks. I'm so Sorry you got called a Slut by a radio shock Jock entertainer." "What, Give back the Million dollar donation from Bill Mahar because he called Sarah Palin a "C", refers to conservative woman as "Tw###", "Boobs", etc.?" "That's OK because he's an "Entertainer" and every one understands its just part of his act so where going to keep his money"

'

Total BS Ozzy. He is not a bum for allowing it, he is a bum for not allowing it and a bum for only going along when it became politically necessary. We all know where his heart is.

Was he a bum for not suspending the Jones act and allowing foreign clean up ships immediately? Absolutely! Was he a bum for finally letting them in a month later? No, he was a bum for only doing it after the oil reached shore and he took the political hit.

If he would have suspended the Jones act immediately the oil never would have reached shore. If he OK'd the pipeline immediately he could have avoided all this crap. Both fiasco's are of his own making.

Again in both cases he blocked doing the right thing until he was politically forced to. That makes him a bum.

ozzie..you keep making a fool of yourself with your gibberish..

media matters is sure not getting their moneys worth from you..

quit spewing garbage by your name-calling..

The difference is Bush opened more federal lands for drilling and the futures market responded by lowering the price. Obama closed those lands off after the election, setting the stage for this mess.

Instead of encouraging more drilling, he has done everything possible to drag his feet. That's why he's getting hit. If he opened up more federal lands and stopped slow rolling new permits the price would come down.

So the price goes up on Bush, he takes decisive action to signal future supply and the market responds. Obama kills Bush's solution, the price goes up on him and he says it's beyond his control.

See the difference? The former is called leading, the latter is called leading from behind.

Because he is following the orders of the shadow government.

Or just maybe it's because your scenario is total BS. Basically you answered your own question, why would Obama do something that would make him look like a complete fool and aid republicans and their campaign coffers as well?

Answer: He wouldn't.

It amazes me how liberals come up with these preconceived notions then when they are proven totally absurd, their brain freeze with "why would he do that?"

Now that you have proven the absurdity of your own scenario, let's try another.

Obama delayed his decision to placate his radical base. Unfortunately since he also needs moderates to get elected and moderates knew this was good for the country, Obama is having to backtrack to recapture more of their support.

So here's the test, does this scenario adequately explain his actions? YES!

It's called critical thinking, learn it, live it! :<)

Bush average unemployment 5%, average deficit under $250 billion

Obama avearge unemployment 9%, average deficit over $1.3 trillion

I wouldn't call them exactly the same! :<)

Do the research, moron. Look overseas and see what percentage of electricity wind and solar are generating in the Scandinavian countries. Also, no leaks? What about the gas pipeline that blew up a couple of years ago and nearly wiped out an entire CA subdivision, killing several people. Or the fracking in the midwest that's destroying peoples water supplies...or do you think sink water burns naturally?