Gas prices climbed to an average of $3.52 across the country, due to Iran’s decision to reduce its exports to Europe. Correction, due to President Barack Obama’s energy policies. And if you don’t see Obama as the culprit, just ask Speaker John Boehner, who called a closed-door meeting of his fellow Republicans last week and told them to take advantage of the gas pump anger raging across the land.
Blame Obama, he told them; make the American people mad at their government.
Well, Boehner has a point. The United States has been a leader in the campaign to force Iran to abandon its enrichment of uranium, which could lead to adding that nation to the nuclear weapons club. The sanctions imposed by the NATO countries have hurt and Iran is retaliating by putting pressure on its oil customers.
So, yes, the president is among world leaders responsible for the current contraction in the world’s oil supply, which forced prices up. How long they will stay high depends a great deal on how long Iran can afford the reduction in its national income. If the answer to that question is not very long, then the shipments to Europe will resume and the price of oil will drop. Another positive possibility is that the Saudis will step in and replace Iran’s oil in the European market. The Saudis also have a keen interest in preventing Iran from getting nuclear weapons and triggering another Mideast war.
Should either of these solutions present themselves, Speaker Boehner would then congratulate the president for his perceptive energy policy and take back this week’s rude remarks. Right. And the sky will fill with flying pigs.
WHAT BOEHNER will accomplish with his decision to use U.S. policy toward Iran as a campaign issue is to encourage Tehran to stick with its retaliative reduction of oil exports in an effort to weaken the United States and its allies. Boehner, in effect, has decided to join forces with Iran in order to win votes for Republicans at home. It is, to be as kind as possible, a short-sighted decision.
Long term, oil will continue to grow more expensive and the only effective economies will lie in using more natural gas and electricity as fuel. Those solutions aren’t just around the corner, but the technology is proven and will be put to use as quickly as the market allows. In the meantime, those who feel pinched by the price of gas can move into smaller, more efficient cars and be grateful Republican and Democratic administrations alike have seen the need to require the car industry to retool itself to make fuel efficiency possible.
— Emerson Lynn, jr.
