Bush: America Must “Get Off Oil”

Oh the irony. For years President Bush has been intertwined with the oil industry.

For years his Administration has done everything in its power to give the industry tax breaks to bolster its profits. Urged by millions around the world to take the lead on climate change, Bush has instead been as sceptical as the dinosaurs that descended on New York earlier this week (see blog).
Now in the dying days of his Presidency, when he begins his lame-duck waddle into the history books, Bush has actually said something meaningful. Addressing the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference, WIREC 2008, Bush said “Let me start first by telling you that America has got to change its habits,” said Bush. “We’ve got to get off oil. And the reason why is, first, oil is – dependency on oil presents a real challenge to our economy.”
“The dependency upon oil also puts us at the mercy of terrorists” he continued: “If there’s tight supply and demand, all it requires is one terrorist disruption of oil and that price goes even higher. That dependency presents a challenge to our national security.”
“And finally, our dependence on fossil fuels like oil presents a challenge to our environment. When we burn fossil fuels we release greenhouse gases. The concentration of greenhouse gases has increased substantially,” said Bush.
That’s all very well George, but whose to blame…. And where is the real action of greenhouse gas reduction?