GOP claim about Chinese oil drilling off Cuba is untrue

[Newsjock]

Source: McClatchy Newspapers

WASHINGTON — As Congress has debated energy policy over the past several days, an unusual argument keeps surfacing in support of drilling off the U.S. coastline and in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Why, ask some Republicans, should the United States be thwarted from drilling in its own territory when just 50 miles off the Florida coastline the Chinese government is drilling for oil under Cuban leases?

Yet no one can prove that the Chinese are drilling anywhere off Cuba's shoreline. The China-Cuba connection is "akin to urban legend," said Sen. Mel Martinez, a Republican from Florida who opposes drilling off the coast of his state but who backs exploration in ANWR.

... Even so, the Chinese-drilling-in-Cuba legend has gained momentum and has been swept up in Republican arguments to open up more U.S. territory to domestic production.

Vice President Dick Cheney, in a speech Wednesday to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, picked up the refrain. Cheney quoted a column by George Will, who wrote last week that "drilling is under way 60 miles off Florida. The drilling is being done by China, in cooperation with Cuba, which is drilling closer to South Florida than U.S. companies are."

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/40776.html

[Gman]

1. If it's a good lie, Cheney will repeat it

[ptolle]

11. recycling

You may be sure that despite any and all evidence to the contrary this delicious bit will continually circulate through the wingnut sewer system. They're loathe to abandon a good piece of propaganda before they've wrung every little drop of juice out of it. It's about the only recycling the wingnuts believe in, and IMO indicative of the lack of creativity in lower wingnutistan. It's just too hard for them to come up with fresh new lies to bolster all their deceptions so they have to keep recirculating any good fear factor blathering points they've come up with to this point.

[unpossibles]

19. I just heard this one from my father-in-law yesterday

it's hilarious when he repeats the talking points after I've already seen them debunked - it's nice to be able to refute things, although he (of course) doesn't believe me.

[ck4829]

2. What? Did someone actually expect the Republicans to tell the truth for once?

Is someone a bit late to the party or something?

[DRoseDARs]

3. If we caught USSR nukes in Cuba in 1962 we should be able to see Chinese oil rigs in 2008...

The GOP must be relying on some guy with binoculars in a rubber dingy off the Florida Keys for their intel. :eyes:

[ohio2007]

13. Google earth would be a place to start

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=s&utm_campaign=en&utm_source=en-ha-na-us-syn-gm&utm_medium=ha&utm_term=map

unless such data isn't granted public access;

[mulsh]

4. maybe they just extrapolated from this story.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Chinese-Cuban Oil Rigs Rise off Florida Coast

While Cuba's immediate future may be in doubt, this much seems certain: the Chinese are coming!

With help from China, Canada, and Spain, the Communist dictatorship is drilling for oil less than 60 miles off the coast of Florida. A total of 36 huge rigs are planned.

The Cuban government has also signed a contract with China's oil and gas company, Sinopec, to explore areas around the island thought to contain oil deposits.

here's a link: http://chinaconfidential.blogspot.com/2006/08/chinese-cuban-oil-rigs-rise-off_02.html

remember the republican modus is to make shit up and start drilling immediately. now go back to being scared of the Sino/Cuban agreements.

[clixtox]

8. I just looked at the "chinaconfidential" blog...

Which is all basically one person's opinions. The posting about China drilling for oil off Cuba is not documented at all. The "Tehran Times" is mentioned in a similar context though, as the source for another accusation in the same post that Iran is investing in "exploratory drilling and building refineries on the island".

"Chinaconfidential"'s main focus now, besides slamming China, seems to be demonizing Barack Obama. Asserting that Obama is, or was at birth anyway, certainly a Muslim just because of his father's religion. Claims that Obama was possibly born in Kenya, Africa and that his middle name at birth was Mohammed are popular topics recently. Inflammatory anti-progressive rumor mongering is the site's style.

This writer has a "freeper" mentality, and is amazingly unevolved, a true twenty-first century troglodyte. A 1950's conservative, cold war style, world view on offer.

There are many other sources of information about these plans from the spring of 2006 easily accessible on search engines, I wouldn't throw any web traffic towards "chinaconfidential" if I could help it!

[liberal N proud]

5. It sounded like bull shit the first time I heard it

I couldn't find anything to determine either fact of fiction so I just ignored it until now.

Thanks for posting this.

[annabanana]

6. This lie will rip the repugs into itty bitty bits...

The money part of the party would choke themselves before they'd insult their Chinese overlords.. and the knuckledraggers are askeert of the red menace. .

[tanyev]

7. Hey, kind of like how Judith Miller dutifully reported all the bullshit they fed her

and then they could go around quoting the New York Times in their public appearances.

[KoKo]

9. Good! I heard this lie on the Cables, last week...and no one questioned it.

Repug pundits...put it out there. Glad to see it finally getting some rebuttal. I wonder if Lou Dobbs repeated it...anyone know? I try to avoid watching Dobbs...but sounds like something he would repeat.

[NickB79]

10. But Glen Beck and Ben Stein just stated that last night on the radio!

You don't mean to tell me they'd actually lie to me, would they?

[ohio2007]

12. Brazil's giant state owned oil company is prospecting off the Cuban coast

Hugo has oil interests in Cuban waters also
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7bFCB0BCAD-E78A-4E41-8C04-D7A771D19522%7d%29&language=EN


Don't see why congress wants to force US citizens to keep the status quo when they refused to open up US waters to drilling.

[B3Nut]

14. OMG! You mean Republicans LIE???

Who knew? I'm shocked, I tell you...shocked!

:sarcasm: (just in case :D )

What a bunch of feckless tools! And Ben Stein is repeating this load of bollocks...LMAO!!!!!!! How fitting.

[underpants]

15. Thanks Newsjock

Here is my string of threads on this
http://journals.democraticunderground.com/underpants/120

I stumbled onto this "story" on Wednesday. I contacted Thinkprogress about it yesterday and they (at the link above) have Video of Martinez blowing Cheney out of the water.

the whole thing is a crazed myth

[DiverDave]

16. I heard this from a repuke talking head

the other day.
That China is "slant drilling" for oil off the FL. coast, and the 'tree huggers' were not letting the U.S. oil company's drill there.

A.M. radio is awash with this crap, no source's, no proof, just a bigmouth overpaid rnc shill saying so.
And joe sixpack doesn't check the facts, and believes the lies.
The rnc counts on the laziness of people to NOT seek out the truth...It really is sad that people are so lazy...

[Judi Lynn]

17. No off shore drilling around Florida because they don't want it. Jeb Bush made a point

of this long ago, himself. Here's a reference from 2001:

Jeb Bush to Bush administration: No new drilling in Gulf off Florida
AP 26jan01

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- Gov. Jeb Bush has told his brother's new administration not to open up Florida's Gulf Coast to more offshore oil and gas drilling -- a message President Bush already has said he will heed.

The president advocates increased energy exploration in the United States, but he said in a pre-inauguration interview with The Associated Press that he would support governors who want drilling banned off their coastlines.

Gov. Bush's letter to the U.S. Interior Department opposes the sale of an oil and gas lease that could allow drilling on nearly 6 million acres in federal waters south of Alabama near the Florida line.

``These are leases that are close to Florida waters and I think it's appropriate for the Florida governor to represent Florida's interests in that regard,'' Bush said Thursday of his letter.

In an interview on Jan. 17, George W. Bush forecast ``a monumental battle'' over increased energy exploration but said it is essential.

Asked about the Florida situation, Bush replied: ``I am for offshore drilling, but there is as much visual polution off of Florida, or off of coastlines, as well as potential pollution. ...

``So I am going to work with the governors and if they are for bans off their coast, I'll support them for bans off their coast,'' he said.

He said his advocacy of opening the Alaska National Wildlife Reserve to energy exploration is another matter because it is an isolated ``area where we can develop and protect'' the environment.

http://www.mindfully.org/Energy/Bush-to-Bush-No-Drill.htm

[st8grad93]

18. Cuba Plans Offshore Wells Banned in U.S. Waters

WASHINGTON, May 8 — In 1977, the United States and Cuba signed a treaty that evenly divided the Florida Straits to preserve each country's economic rights. They included access to vast underwater oil and gas fields on both sides of the line.

...

With only modest energy needs and no ability of its own to drill, Cuba has negotiated lease agreements with China and other energy-hungry countries to extract resources for themselves and for Cuba.

...

Kirby Jones, founder and president of the U.S. Cuba Trade Association, a group that promotes United States business interests in Cuba, said Cuba had signed agreements with companies from China, India, Spain and Canada.

---------------

Cuba Plans Offshore Wells Banned in U.S. Waters

Looks like this article sheds some light on this claim's origins. Would the NYT be so shoddy in its research ?