Greatness Defined

Blame Bush First is certainly a way of life to some. And it's undoubtedly destructive, not always fact-based, and often pathological.

But what does that say about those who in 2006 Blame Clinton Still? Absent other ideas on how to get out from under GasGate '06, Bill Frist takes the old saw out for a spin:

COURIC: Let me ask you about another aspect of your plan, because I know the $100 rebate is just one component, that it’s tied to another controversial proposal, which allows oil companies to drill for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska. That has repeatedly failed to pass Congress. Some question the Republicans’ sincerity because they know in the view of these critics that this won’t pass.

FRIST: Let’s talk about it. We passed it last month in the United States Senate. It has overwhelming — maybe you don’t support it — but it has overwhelming support. We passed it in the legislature back in 1996. President Clinton vetoed it. Unbelievable.

Veto a bill instead of just ignore it? That is unbelievable. And Frist neatly ignores the fact that Bubba vetoed a measure that the current congress doesn't think is such a good idea anyway.

Passed the House. Pass the Senate. And if President Clinton had not vetoed that, we would have more than a million barrels of oil coming here every single day. That’s more oil than we import from Saudi Arabia right now. It’s a matter supply and demand. Right now we would have increase supply if it had not been vetoed by President Clinton.

So, if you're keeping score...gas prices are high because Clinton was right 10 years ago, and there is nothing current leadership could have done in the 5.5 years of GWB.* But they are willing to give you $100 so that you won't be mad at them.

So I'll ask, if he was so damn powerful and effective, can I vote for him again?


* I leave aside the question as to whether anything should be done about fuel costs either short or long term. I have nothing resembling the wonk chops needed for that, though my intuition is that gas prices have been artifically suppressed in this country, and some form of gradual normalization is probably a good idea, as we are too insulated from many of the costs of our actions relative to energy resources at present. But I could be wrong.