Aren't current oil prices an unintended consequences of Bush's

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

misguided, foolishly inept "War on Terror" also known as the war to get Saddam's oil?

Iraq was producing oil for the world markets before we stormed in there. I don't know what current Iraq production is, but I imagine it is relatively minor compared to pre-war levels. So, aren't we responsible for removing some of a limited commodity off the world markets and driving up the price as a result? Why isn't Bush called to account for this? Additionally, instead of stabilizing the Middle East - that area is more unstable and dangerous than its been in many decades. What's going to happen in Saudi Arabia? Iran?

Now that everyday Americans are losing real income every time they drive up to a gas pump - maybe they'll become more interested in the so-called energy policies of this country - designed and decided on in secret, away from the prying eyes of the American public, to enrich the oilgarchs.

[eallen]

1. Maybe a little. Mostly, they're a consequence of rising demand.

From China and other growing nations.

[NewJeffCT]

2. While China & India are certainly growing

their demand has not doubled in the past few years.

I think it's a train wreck of China/India growing;, nervousness in the oil markets over Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, etc; Bush giving free rein to ExxonMobil, ChevronTexaco, etc to raise prices at will and not have to worry about the emergency petroleum reserve.

[eallen]

11. Small increases in demand can lead to large increases in price.

Remember, prices are made on the margin. I agree, that there is some risk premium in the price, due to uncertainties in the Middle East.

[rman]

9. Rising demand would not be a problem if production would keep up.

So the real problem is not rising demand, but insufficient production.

[eallen]

13. That's true. We're definitely in a different production phase.

I doubt production has peaked. Yet. But we might be seeing the plateau, in the not too distant future.

But I could be wrong.

:hippie:

[madrchsod]

3. think enron and all your

questions wll be answered. supply is ahead of demand and will be for quite sometime. it will be a bit more costly to extract. remember that the second largest proven reserves are off line and will be for at least 5-10 years.

[BlueJazz]

4. The true "Crime" is the fact that this Administration has not, ...

..and did not, see this coming.
Scientists the world over have been warning people of the coming Oil shortage for years but in true Republican fashion, the Bush people can only see as far as the tip of their wallets.
After 5 years, we have made almost ZERO plans for alternative energy sources.
But of course, what can you expect from people that still believe the earth is 10,000 years old?...

[PATRICK]

5. But so far

The GOP has demonstrated iron control of both the population and the message. The level of protest cannot even surface for air and certainly there is little hope of really passing on pain and pressure upward. The issue of energy independence is unspoken in two ways.

The sane method espoused by Kerry of getting away from big oil is quashed.

The insane method of seizing the ME oil fields(except for the Saudis who own a huge chunk of America) is as obviously being implemented to the full by brute force of arms alone as it is NOT being admitted to publicly. And rarely discussed of course. They will use anything to mask this obvious elephant in the china shop. War of terror. Islamic extremism. Liberty. WMD's. All philosophical piffle exactly proved by the fact that the war agenda creates the very problems we are SUPPOSEDLY going to war against.

Gas prices going up is a mere shrug and a profitable opiate for those engaged in the mess of oil imperialism. They consider consumers an irrlevant herd of wealth producers for the elite. Lack of democracy and true representation and lack of true public information outlets make this easier than ever.

[charlie]

6. They're exporting something like 1.5 million bbls a day

At the same time, they're importing refined oil products from Turkey, Iran, and Kuwait. Demand is up because electrical service is still spotty and generators are in wide use. I don't know how much their consumption offets their total exports.

[Not Me]

7. They are also related to his wreckess spending policies

...driving the country into debt raises the cost of borrowing money and causes other currencies to rise in relation to the US dollar...requiring more US dollars per barrel.

[Dogmudgeon]

8. The "Peak Oil" Phenomenon

What we're seeing is the beginning of a long struggle to "secure" energy resources for America, Europe, Japan, and China. And since supplies are finite, it's a struggle that we will certainly lose.

The rest of the world can (supposedly) go to hell.

The "everyday Americans" of whom you write will be just as exploitable after an energy crash as before. In fact, maybe even moreso. Even if the next few decades see the American population reduced to 40 million, most of whom will live in hand-to-mouth poverty, it will still provide an adequate workforce to support the appetites and pleasures of the remaining "parasitic elite" (if I may borrow a term from the Right).

Bush is only the point man in this game, probably either the guy who drew the short straw, or maybe the dumb zhlub the other connivers put up to this. Either way, it's not a limited problem -- it is an integral part of the ongoing mismanagement of our society and our world.

--p!

[4MoreYearsOfHell]

10. Are you kidding me? Everything is going according to plan

Bush's buddies are making mega-bucks with these high oil prices. And that's ALL he cares about.

This asshole cares nothing about the "American people".

[GreenPartyVoter]

12. Not unintended at all. They LIVE to gouge people for money