Obama: Drill, Brazil, Drill!

[Palehorse]

Sorry I was probably a bit vague on that but while I don't like war in any form I can see the need for intervention in Libya.

ROE in Afghanistan are very restrictive. They were supposed to be disigned to reduce civilian casualties. These rules are too restrictive though and severely cripple our soldier's efforts. They can't get air support or artillary cover when needed for the fear of hurting civilians. They sometimes can't even get smoke rounds or illumination rounds because someone is afraid that the canister might hit someone.

While that may have been true under Gen McChrystal, (And was one of several factors in his eventual replacement within the leadership role in the current theatre of operations), the ROE was a paramount task for his replacement Gen Petraeus.

While the full directive is, understandably,  classified; excerpts from Petraeus's rules released on the ISAF ( International Assistance Force in Afghanistan - http://www.isaf.nato.int/ ) website place more emphasis on the appropriateness of lethal force than the McChrystal order it replaces, and was specifically designed to address the concerns and abject situations driven by it.

Understanding that collateral damage is a key component utilized by the insurgency within it's campaign efforts to win over civilian support, and the high level of emotional response its utilization drives, (thereby creating ambiguity within the individual decision making process), it was and is imperative that the ISAF undertake efforts to remove that obstacle from the path toward progression.

Soldiers and sailors understand this, as does leadership within the chain of command, which is why the ROE was revisited, and very likely will be revisited numerous times before US forces are drawn down.

As for Iraq, he killed thousands and thousands of his own people. Used chemical weapons on his own people and harbored terrorists. not to mention his unprovoked attacks on us too.

If you don't think he had WMD's then you are just fooling yourself. He had months of warning before the invasion and had ample time to move and hide any he had. Did you forget the shells that were found with traces of serin gas in them or the Russian fighters found buried in the desert?

Thousands, hundreds, ten twenty - intention is the same, and in Libya he is using military armaments against the citizens of the country simply because he disagrees with their position surrounding the path of national government and dare enough to publicly protest.

Same violation - morally and legally.

WMD - THAT is the question which neither side has been able to prove one way or another, with the singular point being that NONE were found.

IF they were there, and subsequently moved, the reason(s) for that are the UN's. (IIRC the gas shells discovered were, at least in part, supplied by the US.) And lets not forget the fact that the whole reason he was in power to begin with (SH) was our, (US), own doing! WE propped him up and facilitated his rise to power, and it came back on us.

NONE of which has anything to do with the reasons GIVEN at the onset of the Iraqi initiative, wherein it was stated as fact that they had WMD's. Which they did not.

Are you forgetting the Russian Afghanistan conflict???

[The Troll]

Sooooo, Hank, are you saying you (would) have a problem of using up everyone else's oil resources and saving ours for last?

  Y over 30 years ago I meet an old man who had worked with a oil wildcatting team who hunted oil all through out the West.  He had a very close friend on this team who was a geologist who had connections in Washington DC.

  This geologist said that there was a huge amount of oil and natural gas reserves out in the west.  From the Old U.S. Naval reserves in Alaska though America clear down to South America.  The amount of oil here in the United States far exceed what the oil companies and the government says there is.

  Isn't it amazing how they have just discovered all of the natural gas in the west and many other places.  It was there all along.  You don't think it's because they want to run 18 wheelers and maybe trains on it.  Do you think T. Boone Pickens knows something that the American people don't know. 

  He said his geologist that in Washington DC. the consensus was that we the Americans will use up all of the easy available oil in the world and when it runs out we, America will control the price of oil.  Now remember that this was over 30 years ago and he said the geologist said the the price of a gallon of gas would be over $5.00 a gallon.  There would be no cheap gasoline in America when the United States oil companies in America controlled the oil. 

[Henry Hawk]

Sooooo, Hank, are you saying you (would) have a problem of using up everyone else's oil resources and saving ours for last?

I'm saying that we need to be aggressively seeking alternative sources to our fuel situation. BUT, let me share this with you.  Just read it, and disprove it if you can.


Top 3 Myths in Obama's Lecture on Gas Prices
President Obama held a press conference on March 11, to discuss rising gasoline and oil prices. Gasoline at the pump now costs an average of $3.50 per gallon nationwide, and experts project prices to eclipse $4 per gallon this year, possibly by the beginning of the summer driving season.

But instead of providing a solution that most of America wants — more domestic drilling — President Obama used his presser to recite misleading talking points to justify his anti-energy policies, arguments that have all been thoroughly debunked.

Here are the three biggest myths from President Obama's remarks during this press conference:

•   "We can't escape the fact that we control only 2% of the world's oil."

This is a common refrain among anti-drilling Democrats and environmentalists, and it's repeated enough that many people accept it as true. In reality, it's 100% false. The number comes from a highly conservative estimate from the Energy Information Administration totaling America's proven reserves where we are already drilling. It does not include the 10 billion barrels available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It does not include most of the 86 billion barrels available offshore in the Outer Continental Shelf, most of which President Obama has placed under an executive drilling ban. And it does not include the 800 billion barrels of oil we have locked in shale in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Those shale resources alone are actually three times larger than the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia, so the claim that the U.S. only has 2% of the world's oil is clearly false.

•  "Industry holds leases on tens of millions of acres both offshore and on land where they aren't producing a thing."

President Obama adds to this whopper by saying he wants to "encourage companies to produce [on] the leases they hold." While this sounds like a common sense fix, it's actually just blind rhetoric reserved only for people with a shocking ignorance of drilling. You can read more about this here and here, but it basically boils down to this: A lease is for exploration and production, not just production, and because oil is not equally distributed across the globe, one parcel of leased acreage may not hold any oil. Moreover, due to the circuitous and needlessly complicated permitting process, it can take years for companies who own a lease to complete their exploration activities. To get to the production phase, it could take as long as ten years. Ironically, President Obama wants to tax companies for not producing on their leases, even if the federal government's refusal to grant permits is the reason why those companies are not drilling.

•   "Last year...our oil production reached its highest level in 7 years."

This is pure spin. President Obama is deliberately trying to take credit for actions unrelated to his policies. The increased level of production is due to the actions of previous administrations and production in the Dakotas where most drilling is occurring on private land. By contrast, the Energy Information Administration projects that there will be a decline in production of 220,000 barrels of domestic oil per day in 2011, and in 2012 America will produce 150 million fewer barrels in the Gulf of Mexico, all because of President Obama's policies to discourage or ban domestic drilling. In addition, President Obama's drilling moratorium (and subsequent refusal to issue drilling permits) has forced at least 7 rigs to leave the Gulf and sign contracts in other countries, taking much needed jobs and revenue with them.

As gas prices skyrocket, Americans are reminded every day that the federal government's refusal to allow responsible domestic drilling can have an incredibly destructive economic impact. Instead of trying to fix this problem, the Obama administration has worked every day to make sure that America produces less oil and has to rely more on OPEC for our energy needs.

No amount of White House spin or misleading talking points can change that tragic fact.

[The Troll]

  Mr. Chicken Hawk you're always trying to lay blame Obama for everything.  Really there is no president that can do anything about the price of oil.

  An Arab cartel with 4 super large oil companies, out of the many oil companies we use to have and we had competition in the oil market and when they really tried to find oil, have bought both sides of congress, Republicans and Democrats with their money.  After years and years of super profits, just look a EXXON, and the Congress's still wants to give 4 oil companies money.

  What we really need to do is break up their monopoly, spread out the competition and stop all of the lobbying with their money to congress.  Maybe if we get the congressmen of the oil companies tits maybe we will have some justice.

  but for you, Fhawk trying to lay this at Obama's doorstep just won't pass the muster.   

  What is it, too large to fail.  How about to large to stop and control.

[Henry Hawk]

Troll, I am over the blame game....I just want to do what is best for this country.

Do me a favor and read what I attached, with an open mind.  I have no more room for arguing...I just want to put those in charge that will do what I believe is best.

That is it in a nut shell. 

[Exterminator]

As for Iraq, he killed thousands and thousands of his own people.

Our invasion of Iraq is responsible for more non-combatant deaths than HUssein was during his entire 28 year reign.

Used chemical weapons on his own people...

Chemical weapons sold to him by the U.S.

[Palehorse]

I'm saying that we need to be aggressively seeking alternative sources to our fuel situation. BUT, let me share this with you.  Just read it, and disprove it if you can.


Top 3 Myths in Obama's Lecture on Gas Prices
President Obama held a press conference on March 11, to discuss rising gasoline and oil prices. Gasoline at the pump now costs an average of $3.50 per gallon nationwide, and experts project prices to eclipse $4 per gallon this year, possibly by the beginning of the summer driving season.

But instead of providing a solution that most of America wants — more domestic drilling — President Obama used his presser to recite misleading talking points to justify his anti-energy policies, arguments that have all been thoroughly debunked.

Here are the three biggest myths from President Obama's remarks during this press conference:

•   "We can't escape the fact that we control only 2% of the world's oil."

This is a common refrain among anti-drilling Democrats and environmentalists, and it's repeated enough that many people accept it as true. In reality, it's 100% false. The number comes from a highly conservative estimate from the Energy Information Administration totaling America's proven reserves where we are already drilling. It does not include the 10 billion barrels available in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. It does not include most of the 86 billion barrels available offshore in the Outer Continental Shelf, most of which President Obama has placed under an executive drilling ban. And it does not include the 800 billion barrels of oil we have locked in shale in Wyoming, Utah, and Colorado. Those shale resources alone are actually three times larger than the proven reserves of Saudi Arabia, so the claim that the U.S. only has 2% of the world's oil is clearly false.

•  "Industry holds leases on tens of millions of acres both offshore and on land where they aren't producing a thing."

President Obama adds to this whopper by saying he wants to "encourage companies to produce [on] the leases they hold." While this sounds like a common sense fix, it's actually just blind rhetoric reserved only for people with a shocking ignorance of drilling. You can read more about this here and here, but it basically boils down to this: A lease is for exploration and production, not just production, and because oil is not equally distributed across the globe, one parcel of leased acreage may not hold any oil. Moreover, due to the circuitous and needlessly complicated permitting process, it can take years for companies who own a lease to complete their exploration activities. To get to the production phase, it could take as long as ten years. Ironically, President Obama wants to tax companies for not producing on their leases, even if the federal government's refusal to grant permits is the reason why those companies are not drilling.

•   "Last year...our oil production reached its highest level in 7 years."

This is pure spin. President Obama is deliberately trying to take credit for actions unrelated to his policies. The increased level of production is due to the actions of previous administrations and production in the Dakotas where most drilling is occurring on private land. By contrast, the Energy Information Administration projects that there will be a decline in production of 220,000 barrels of domestic oil per day in 2011, and in 2012 America will produce 150 million fewer barrels in the Gulf of Mexico, all because of President Obama's policies to discourage or ban domestic drilling. In addition, President Obama's drilling moratorium (and subsequent refusal to issue drilling permits) has forced at least 7 rigs to leave the Gulf and sign contracts in other countries, taking much needed jobs and revenue with them.

As gas prices skyrocket, Americans are reminded every day that the federal government's refusal to allow responsible domestic drilling can have an incredibly destructive economic impact. Instead of trying to fix this problem, the Obama administration has worked every day to make sure that America produces less oil and has to rely more on OPEC for our energy needs.

No amount of White House spin or misleading talking points can change that tragic fact.

I will leave the field to Y, however I must interject briefly here:


Interesting that you neglected to provide the source for this anti Obama propaganda.  Just an oversight I'm sure. . . We've covered this ground hundreds of times already, but once again I will state:


Industry experts calculate that if the US were to tap into all known (Proven and unproven) oil reserves and ramp up production and processing- they would be depleted totally within an 8 year period, leaving the US with NONE to tap into. ~(Paraphrasing of USEIA statement by PH)

(Source: US Energy Information Administration 2007)

http://theunknownzone.us/smf/index.php?topic=16920.15

Now, I will concede that there is a potential margin of error within the above educated and validated hypothesis surrounding the length of time the US owned portion of the global supply will last, but there is no way it will ever outlast the middle east under any but the most delusional scenarios.

Strange to hear a conservative statement assuming the "alternative energy" position though, I must say. When the POTUS was saying the very same things the oil lappers were crying "end days"! 

When the POTUS called for an alternative energy approach via legislation designed to encourage it, (resulting in wind farm increases, fast tracking of electric vehicle hybrids by the auto industry, etc.), the "opposition" squealed like a stuck pig. Now all of a sudden it is the topic du jours?