OPEC to Shrub: "Turn on your own damned spigot!!"

[Career Prole]

I'm sure most of you recall the Texas Oilman's Spigot Statements from the 2000 campaign, but for those who don't here's a refresher...

Bush said today that he would bring down gasoline prices by creating enough political good will with oil-producing nations that they would increase their supply of crude. “I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply. Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.” Implicit in his comments was a criticism of the Clinton administration as failing to take advantage of the good will that the US built with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf war in 1991. Also implicit was that as the son of the president who built the coalition that drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait, Mr. Bush would be able to establish ties on a personal level that would persuade oil-producing nations that they owed the US something in return.

Source: Katherine Q. Seelye, NY Times Jun 28, 2000


Q: The Energy Secretary said he would not tap US strategic petroleum reserves in order to drive down prices saying those reserves are for emergencies. But given the shortages that exist, do you consider this an appropriate time to tap those reserves?
A: No, I don’t. I agree with the energy secretary that the strategic petroleum reserve is meant for a national wartime emergency. What I think the president ought to do is get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together and it’s driving the price, like it did in the past. And the president must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price. And if in fact there is collusion amongst big oil, he ought to intercede there as well.

Source: GOP Debate in Manchester NH Jan 26, 2000
http://www.issues2000.org/2004/More_George_W__Bush_Energy_+_Oil.htm

Today OPEC showed America just how little influence the "jawboning" drugstore cowboy actually wields in the oil world...

OPEC to U.S. - Use Emergency Oil Reserves

JAKARTA (Reuters) - OPEC took the unprecedented step of urging the United States to tap its emergency crude reserves to bring down world oil prices.

Purnomo Yusgiantoro, the president of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, said on Wednesday he had approached Washington to suggest the move to force prices down from $55 a barrel.

"We had communication with them. I asked them to use their reserves," Purnomo, Indonesia's oil minister, told reporters in Jakarta. He did not say what Washington's response was.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20041027/bs_nm/energy_opec_usa_dc_3

So much for the jawboning method of lowering gas prices. :eyes:
I think Samson got a lot more use from the jawbone of an ass than we ever did.

[bullimiami]

1. remember in 2000

i thought shrub was going to go over there and talk to opec. and then they ripped clinton for tapping the strategic reserves.