WP: Oil Firms Turn Katrina Into Profits, (Sen) Clinton Says

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/02/AR2005090202079.html

Pressed by constituents alarmed by skyrocketing gasoline prices in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) accused oil companies of manipulating energy markets to enhance profits and decried a lack of national leadership for a plan to free the country from dependence on foreign oil.

"I want to go after the oil companies and the oil speculators and the manipulators of the money, because they're the ones who I think are really behind this," Clinton told an audience in Elmira Heights on Thursday. "You have a hurricane, and all of a sudden you see prices going up like that. That has . . . everything to do with people trying to make money off the backs of this tragedy."

On the attack: Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.). (Aynsley Floyd - AP)
Clinton repeatedly took aim at record profits rolled up by energy giants during the last quarter as crude oil prices have continued to rise with rhetoric that was at times angry, exasperated, frustrated and passionate. "You just cannot convince me that they are not manipulating this market," she told another audience near Newark, N.Y.

Citing Exxon Mobil Corp.'s record $7.64 billion profit in the past quarter as evidence that the government needs take action, she said it is time to send a message to the industry that "they're being watched" as consumers deal with rising prices. "If we don't fight Big Oil, this country's going down," she said. "We're not going to have the standard of living and the quality of life, and we're not going to be able to control our future."

[tk2kewl]

1. who woulda thunk it?

shillary turning on her corporate masters? :shrug:

[Mythsaje]

3. I know!

It's inconceivable!

[tk2kewl]

6. and Lieberman is calling for an investigation into the pathetic response

to the 'cane

[Mythsaje]

10. So's Frist...I think.

Opportunists...trying to maneuver for '08...so they can repay THEIR corporate sponsors.

Bah!

(feeling a bit cynical right now...can you tell?)

[Mnemosyne]

18. Frist too. n/t

[Bucky]

11. DLC out front on this issue. Are Kerry, Feingold & Boxer silent sell outs?

Of course not. But then neither are the DLC. Knee jerk Demo-McCarthyists, please note: DLCers fired the first shots at big oil because they'd saved their ammo

[bvar22]

17. BULLSHIT!!!

Progressive Democrats have been shooting at the Corporate influence in DC for a loooooong time, especially the role the Oil Corps played in writing the Energy Policy!!!!!Where was Hillary then?

Only nooooow does the DLC chime in when the focus groups have decided that it would hurt them NOT to do so. The DLC is NOT leading this charge; they are following the Focus Groups!!! I would LOVE to see the Corporate shills in the DLC actually sponsor and support legislation that would benefit the American Worker and NOT their Corporate Sponsors!!

HOT FU**ING AIR from THE DLC!



The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR.

[Pepperbelly]

33. re your sig ...

who put you in charge of who should get out of the tent?

[bvar22]

37. Who put YOU in charge

of MY sig line!!!


The Democratic Party is a BIG TENT, but there is NO ROOM for those who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR!!!

[Pepperbelly]

38. well ...

if you somehow deign to think I should leave, we will have a real problem.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

40. So you're saying that there Is room

for those who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR!!!



???

[Pepperbelly]

41. I believe that there could be room for ...

anyone not intent on throwing everyone else out.

Of course, what someone else wupports is rarely relevant to the outbursts of the purgers anyway. It usually boils down to little more than someone who does not agree with them at a given point.

And I am definately sick of that shit.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

42. Specifically. How about

those who advance the agenda of THE RICH (Corporate Owners) at the EXPENSE of LABOR and the POOR!!!


???

[Pepperbelly]

44. mostly, that could ...

be about anyone that someone decides it is. It is a matter of opinion. Who should make that call? You? Me?

I am sick to death of the purgers. If the shoe fits ...

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

45. Honestly,

I think I should make the call. If it's OK with you. :D

I do have an idea that might be helpful though. The Middle of the Road Party. The party emblem is a fencepost.






If you don't stand for something, you stand for nothing.

[Pepperbelly]

47. How about getting rid of the donkey and instead ...

get two monkeys ... one with two left arms and another with two right ones.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

48. I'm all for it.

I'll join the two left arm monkey party.

To be fair, I allow you to have a third party: The Armless Monkey Party.



The Armless Monkey Party




Sorry, made myself laugh...

[Pepperbelly]

49. only if the armless monkey is standing on its head. nt

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

50. I'm willing to compromise.

So it shall be.*







*For proper viewing, mentally extract the arms from the monkey's body.

[Pepperbelly]

51. Cool ...

Now that is a symbol that could move nations.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

52. It brings a mist to my eyes.

It's buttah.

[Pepperbelly]

54. my daughter ... 24 y/o ...

has monkey socks and a monkey t-shit. My son in the Navy has monkey boxer shorts. We are ready.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

55. I've got monkey shines! Let's roll!

[Pepperbelly]

57. Exactly!

It's time to quit monkeying around.

Monkeys unite!

[Don1]

58. You forgot something.

Kerry is in the DLC, too.

Amd progressives have been speaking on this issue, too.

[liberaliraqvet26]

2. they are alive!!!

ok thats one how bout the other 44??

[TomPainesBones]

4. WOW

We shall see.

[Radical Activist]

5. I wonder who could have done more to deal with that problem in the 90's?

Maybe someone close to Hillary? I just can't put my finger on it.

So many missed opportunities.

[depakid]

36. How quickly people forget

That Bill's administration did NOTHING to stop gouging and market manipulation when he was president. Even after Senate investigations.

It was Clinton- not Bush- who was in power during the so called California Energy crisis- and the natural gas manipulations before that- and the West Coast petroleum market manipulations in 1997!

[Maccagirl]

46. If you're talking about Bill

They're not that close.

[niallmac]

7. I know gas is expensive but for now American humanity is struggling.

I am as suspicious and angry about corporatism as Karl Marx ever was but damn. Right now my heart is heavy with shock and awe over what has happened and not happened to my fellow Americans in NO. I am suspicious of the value system of someone who counts the silverware when the house is on fire. Hilary can be my banker any day but I am not so sure I want her a defender of my countries human rights.
Gut feeling speaking here. Anyone...make a fool of me and prove me so wrong. I used to bow toward Arkansas.

[Pepperbelly]

30. NO is a horrendous example of gop incompetence but ...

at the same time, while these people are suffering, so are the rest of us. I do not have the luxury of living close enough to where I work to be able to bike there. I have to drive. And these prices are KILLING the working poor.

Is there room in your heart for only one thing at a time?

[jrthin]

8. Ewww! This must

be a safe topic 'cause Mrs. Clinton has spoken up.

[tk2kewl]

9. .

[No Blood for Hubris]

12. CAN WE PLEASE ALL BOYCOTT EXXON/MOBIL ASAP

and make it stick? I'm sure that would attract the attention of those whose attention it would be useful to attract.

[ProudDad]

20. I've been boycotting them for YEARS

I NEVER buy exxon (Valero now)/Mobil, etc.

I'm working at home again and my client is a rather "easy" mass transit ride away so I haven't bought ANY gas since it was $2.29/gallon.

What is it now in California?

I primarily buy Citgo -- Viva Chavez...

[joeunderdog]

56. Not since the Valdez.

Fuck them.

Hess and Citgo don't buy Middle East oil.

[PinkyisBlue]

32. Boycott Exxon/Mobil

I do!! Someone should post this in its own thread (I don't think I can).
Exxon/Mobil are also the most environmentally unfriendly of the oil companies. I believe they are still fighting to drill in Alaska.

[Neshanic]

13. Squeek, Squeek. Can I just poke you a bit? Please?

"I will be getting a bit rough with you oil guys, so just a heads up. I will try to keep it light though."

[Miss Chybil]

14. She's right. The rise in price is all to do with speculators driving

it up.

[mermaid]

15. Go Hillary!! Hillary '08 You Tell 'Em, Girl!!

Fuckin' Exxon-mobil bastards. I KNOW some asshole is gouging us, I mean, okay, we had a disater...and a bad one...but this is just ab-so-fuckin-lutely ridiculous...gas prices have gone up nearly a dollar a gallon in the past four days, and you can't mean to tell me things are THAT bad.

some asshole is making money off the backs of the poor. The Repukes all bitch about the looting being done in New Orleans, and, not that I am condoning it, but where's the outrage over the oil companies LOOTING US?!?!?!

Thanks for showing some outrage, Hillary!

[GoreDean2008]

24. No, Hillary Is As Equally Liable As BushCo

Hillary is just staging a political show to make her look more like a presidential candidate. Hillary has no compassion and care for those who are suffering. She voted for the invasion of Iraq more enthusiastically than any other Democrats and even some Republicans did.

The current chaos in the Southern coastal area is directly caused by the invasion of Iraq. Too much resources that could have been used for prevention of hurricane disaster were sent to and wasted in Iraq.

And when there were so many times for Democrats to raise their voices and sternly chastise Bush for his reckless policies, Hillary was busy kowtowing to Bush and his corporate agenda because she thought that would serve her best "presidential" interest.

Hillary is a nasty hypocrite whose only compassion goes to her political power. And Hillary is not a very good opportunist either. One famous Korean admiral in the late 1500s said during the Korea-Japan War, "Those who choose to die will live, and those who choose to live will die." If Hillary chose to risk her political ambition to speak the truth, she might have been a good potential presidential contender today. But during the last 5 years she chose to save her political career at the expense of telling the truth. It's too late for her to turn around.

[Pepperbelly]

29. your opinion ...

I disagree. Whose opinion is worth more? Neither.

[Fluffdaddy]

16. Sen. Hillary Clinton ..........................You Go Girl !

[Giant Robot]

19. Not to be the buzz kill but...

She's huffing and puffing and putting on a good show, I think. This will be a media stir for a week or so, and then will quietly disappear, like many other things. Wasn't she the one who wanted national health care or am I mistaken. And then things will go back to the way things normally are. I'm sorry to be a downer, but I think both parties work hard to maintain the status quo and serve the corporations. This will go no where.

[ProudDad]

21. She tried to create a universal health care plan

(a very flawed one that still heavily pandered to the Insurance lobby) in '93 after Clinton got in.

Her effort was Rove'd to death.

[Giant Robot]

22. And I think more could have been done to make that

happen, what with a Democratic President and Democratically controlled congress, if the effort and the will was there. It was not. That brings us back to the status quo. And that is what I believe will happen here.

[Pepperbelly]

31. that is NOT a matter of opinion...

it is a matter of fact that the Democrats abandoned the Clintons on this as soon as big insurance money started hitting the Congress. I think you are completely mistaken in your facts.

[ClintonTyree]

23. We always hear this empty rhetoric from the pols...........

when gas prices skyrocket. Then they have the obligatory "investigation" and find , gasp, "no wrong doing by the oil companies". :wow: I'm glad she's right on top of this, I feel much better now. :puke:
Until this country nationalizes the energy industry, we'll continue to be gouged every day for the rest of our lives.
Isn't Capitalism a wonderful system? Aren't "free" markets great? :eyes: Aren't our "watchdog" pols doing a great job? :puke:

[durablend]

34. Precisely right...

When was the last time you've EVER heard an oil company found guilty of gouging?

Answer: NEVER

[Tight_rope]

Hillary...I want you in the White House again.

Hillary for President 2008

[NeoConsSuck]

25. For gasoline to go up $1 a gallon..

it would have to translate to a $28 a barrel increase in the price of oil.

No such increase took place. There has been little if any, increase in the price of oil since the hurricane.

[goforit]

26. We are being held hostage by these OIL COMPANIES!!!

What the hell is America gonna do???

[Barkley]

27. Wait now sister! Remember what happened to Gray Davis when he blamed

California's energy crisis on "oil speculators and the manipulators of the money, because they're the ones who I think are really behind this."

Gray Davis was correct and so is Hillary.

We are quick to want to punish looters but when it come time punish the wealthy when they break the law its another story all together.

This is really John Edward's "two Americas" at play.

[Pepperbelly]

28. kick for Hillary ...

:kick:

Those who do not appreciate her remarks ... m|m

[depakid]

35. At least some Dem is saying something, BUT

It's important to remmber that Bill Clinton DID ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (other than encourage by default) repeated instances of petroleum, natural gas and electricity market manipulation during his tenure.

So pardon me for questioning just how sincere this statement is.

[Pepperbelly]

39. give me a break ....

I paid under a buck a gallon the whole time BC was in office except on the one occasion that they tried gouging. He dealt with it and it went back to an affordable level. I think your position is bankrupt of reality because I absolutely remember when it happened.

He released oil from the reserves and then had Reno open investigations into price gouging and the price tumbled. Right now, $30 of the price of a barrel is based on bullshit, speculation, and paranoia. And then the oil companies are kicking at 50% increases in their profits.

Oil is at $70+ per bbl now. Who knows how high it will go when trading again starts. When BC was in, the price stayed at around $20. Coincidence? I don't fucking think so. And now, you denigrate the one Democrat who is speaking out about this. As noted above, give me a break.

[Catt03]

43. Info we can use:

These companies import Middle Eastern oil :
>>>> Shell............................ 205,742,000 barrels
>>>> Chevron/Texaco......... 144,332,000 barrels
>>>> Exxon /Mobil............... 130,082,000 barrels
>>>> Marathon/Speedway... 117,740,000 barrels
>>>> Amoco............................62,231,000 barrels
>>>> If you do the math at $30/barrel, these imports amount to
>>>> over $18 BILLION! (oil is now $55-$60 a barrel)
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Here are some large companies that
>>>> do not import Middle Eastern oil:
>>>>
>>>> Citgo......................0 barrels
>>>> Sunoco...................0 barrels
>>>> Conoco..................0 barrels
>>>> Sinclair.................0 barrels
>>>> BP/Phillips............0 barrels
>>>> Hess.......................0 barrels
>>>> ARC0....................0 barrels
>>>>
>>>> All of this information is available from the
Department of Energy and each is required to state
where they get their oli and how much they are . importing.
>>>>

[AlGore-08.com]

53. Actually those stats are not accurate

http://www.snopes.com/politics/gasoline/saudigas.asp

(snip)

The DoE tracks oil imports by company each month, and although the raw data are a little hard to follow (fortunately, the DoE also provides an explanation of their symbols), for February 2002 the totals were as follows:

CITGO is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the national oil company of Venezuela, so naturally most of its crude oil comes from there. However, in February 2002 CITGO also imported from Middle Eastern countries in the following quantities:

Iraq: 1,342,000 barrels
Kuwait: 437,000 barrels

Conoco imports primarily from Mexico, Venezuela, and Canada, and not from Middle Eastern countries. However, they are planning to merge with Phillips, which does import from Middle Eastern countries (see below).

BP imports from a variety of oil-producing countries, but in February 2002 BP North America also imported from Middle Eastern countries in the following quantities:

Iraq: 470,000 barrels
Kuwait: 415,000 barrels
Saudi Arabia: 2,123,000 barrels
Algeria: 3,853,000 barrels

Phillips also imports from a variety of oil-producing countries, but in February 2002 Phillips imported from Middle Eastern countries in the following quantities:

Iraq: 717,000 barrels
Saudi Arabia: 1,100,000 barrels

Sinclair imports from Canada, not the Middle East.

Sunoco imports primarily from Canada, Angola, and Nigeria, not Middle Eastern countries.

(more... )

[Seabiscuit]

59. Uh, Hillary, that's not what Willie said.

Just last week your hubby stood for a photo-op with Shrub and Poppy and blamed the high gas prices on "supply and demand". Maybe you should both talk to each other a little more often.