Interestingly at the end of last week during the IHS CERAWeek conference held in Houston, Texas, former President Bill Clinton said that Obama’s constant delays on issuing offshore oil drilling permits was “ridiculous.” With this one might be able to claim that Bill Clinton is a “drill, baby, drill” booster, just like Sarah Palin!
Politico is reporting that Bill Clinton agreed with fellow speaker former President George W. Bush on many of his points concerning the oil and gas industry and agreed that the hurdles that Obama’s government have been thrown up before them are ill advised.
“Bush said all the things you’d expect him to say” on oil and gas issues, said Jim Noe, senior vice president at Hercules Offshore and executive director of the pro-drilling Shallow Water Energy Security Coalition. But Clinton added, “You’d be surprised to know that I agree with all that,” according to Noe and others in the room.
Clinton said there are “ridiculous delays in permitting when our economy doesn’t need it,” according to Noe and others.
Some may be shocked that Clinton agreed so readily with George W. Bush on the subject, but perhaps it isn’t too unusual. After all, one has to remember that Clinton was far, far more business-friendly than the anti-business Obama administration.
Clinton is right, too, that Obama is harming our economic recovery and putting us further on the road to dependency on foreign oil.
There is another thing going on here, though. Bill Clinton is a canny politician, we all know, and what is very convenient for him here is that no reporters or video was allowed in this closed meeting. This means that Clinton was able to offer his candid, business-friendly opinion even as he knew darn well that no video or direct reports could be made of it.
Clinton knows that this story won’t be reported widely in press because the media won’t be much interested in a story with no reporters present and no photos and no video extant. His business-friendly comments can make the rounds in the business community and will otherwise be ignored.
This way the former prez can have his cake and eat it, too.
Very canny, indeed.
March 12th, 2011 at 1:08 pm
If you ever watch Clinton in a long interview, his grasp of all sides of a problem and his analytical logic are truly impressive.
By the way, everyone keeps stating that Obama is a one-termer.
Who do you think will me his opponent?
March 12th, 2011 at 1:36 pm
Too early to know who will be his opponent. I would also not say he is sure to be a one-termer. Americans don’t easily turn down a president for a second term these days. In the last 100 years it’s only happened 4 times. (Hoover, LBJ, Carter, H.W.Bush– Ford doesn’t count because he was never elected in the first place)
March 12th, 2011 at 2:02 pm
Obama has built up so much animus, especially with independents, that he may be lucky just to be the candidate in 2012. He is the most polarizing politician I have ever seen. Of course, his popularity will never drop below 42% but that’s not enough to be elected. On the other hand never underestimate the incompetence of the republicans.
March 12th, 2011 at 3:18 pm
“If you ever watch Clinton in a long interview, his grasp of all sides of a problem and his analytical logic are truly impressive.”
I would ask if that is true of his analytical logic but first we would have to define “IS” with an emphasis on the “anal”
March 12th, 2011 at 3:21 pm
This is hearsay.
Obama will be reelected, easily.
March 12th, 2011 at 3:40 pm
@ Warner
The history is true but could also be a great indication of what it takes, or lack thereof to be a one termer.
You gotta admit, no president has ever been compared to Carter as much as Barry has.
I myself, predominantly conservative, am on record saying at least a dozen times that if I had to settle for a Dem I’d give my left nut to have Clinton in office right now.
He can have all the interns under his desk that he can fit and a big ole box o ceegars because at least he wasn’t a total idiot.
Barry wants high oil prices so he can feed all his environmentalist buddies the contracts he promised in 08 and doesn’t want to disappoint one of the more important voting bases he’ll depend on in 2012.
Why would he want to drill ?
Any well meaning POTUS watching the self destruct going on across the middle east right now would be opening every hole in the ground he could before all hell breaks loose.
That combined with Canadas, Mexicos, and S. Americas oil and the more expeditious production of alternative energies (without the Marxism attached) means that we can nuke the middle east that much quicker and wash our hands of this dysfunctional clusterfck once and for all.
March 12th, 2011 at 4:11 pm
“I’m shocked,shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!” – Captain Renault (Casablanca, 1942)
Bill Clinton sold out long ago. NAFTA, WTO, even before he was nominated Bob Ruben intro’d him to all his Wall Street pals at a private dinner. Plus he was schooled by Carroll Quigley personally. Billy-boy won’t do anything to stop those big checks from his speaking engagements to stop flowing. He’s still bucking to be the next UN General Secretary, too.
March 12th, 2011 at 4:18 pm
As for O’Blah-ma, he’s toast already. His presidency ended when the stimulus bill was passed and Rick Santelli blew a gasket. He may not face any Dem challengers but the only thing standing in his way right now is the stupidity of the GOP Establishment. He’ll be a one-termer, unless the Republicans shoot themselves in the foot, which is a good possibility. My neighbor’s pet Airedale could beat Obama right now. A blobfish could beat him, too!
March 12th, 2011 at 5:10 pm
Right you are Andy. There is no way Obammy gets reelected unless he does away with the ballot box and institutes card check for the 2012 election.
March 13th, 2011 at 11:43 pm
As for O’Blah-ma
It’s funny because his name is “Obama” and you put “blah” in it instead of “ba”. Like when I refer to “George W. Tush” by replacing “Bush” with another word for ass.
Hilarious when I saw it the first time, and keeps getting funnier EVERY time I see it. O’Blahma. Heh. And the ‘ makes him Irish. I just noticed that.
Update: “Obammy” ROTLF! You guys must be taking funny pills!
March 14th, 2011 at 5:04 am
HAH Me, You’re right! That’s ABSOLUTELY hilarious! It’s almost like that took an actual thought to come up with!
How about O’Slaw-ma? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
He’s cabbage, mayo and celery seed… HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
March 14th, 2011 at 7:29 am
Dickhead has always worked well for me.
No on yet has ever asked me who I’m talking about.
Easy on the slaw talk. Brian will come running.
Hes got some weird fascination with cabbage.
@ ME
You called yourself “ME”
Ha ha, ho ho, hee hee, I get it !
rotflmfao