Drilling, baby, drilling

You know what's missing from America's beaches when we walk up to the shore line and look out into the vast expanse of blue? A big, fuck off drilling rig. You know it, I know it, everyone knows it. The Obama Administration knows it. Which is why they just kicked off a new announcement to make sure that an almost nonexistent change in our dependence in foreign oil and the sight of a massive oil rig needs to come to US coastlines.

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

The proposal — a compromise that will please oil companies and domestic drilling advocates but anger some residents of affected states and many environmental organizations — would end a longstanding moratorium on oil exploration along the East Coast from the northern tip of Delaware to the central coast of Florida, covering 167 million acres of ocean.

Know I know what you're saying, "What about the pandas or some shit". I'm guessing you're referring to environmental concerns. you shouldn't have any. Why? Because it's better if you don't think about it.

But you may be asking yourself "Why Barry? Why have to forsaken the causes of progressives for no discernible reason?" To which I say... haven't you been paying attention? This is kind of the standard operating procedure of this White House. But, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this is being done for "no discernible reason". Sure, most liberals wouldn't like the idea of increased drilling, but it is a popular idea and concessions like this and on nuclear will have to be made to get things like comprehensive environmental legislation and cap and trade done. What's that, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar?

"I think the term 'cap and trade' is not in the lexicon anymore," Salazar said, adding that supporters -- including senators working on legislation -- will focus more on ideas such as slowing pollution, creating jobs and becoming energy independent. "It's in that context" the Senate will move forward, he said.

Ah, so in effect cap and trade is dead. And in return for opening up the coasts to drilling the concessions you're getting from environmental proponents are.... what? Right, I forgot, nothing. So I can see why this is such a great idea. I mean at least it'll help drive down prices by increasing flows of oil to our overtaxed supply lines that are buckling under the weight of increased demand.

What's that, MSNBC? Wall Street is driving up oil prices: Demand is down, supplies are up — but crude still rises.

Well.... at least we get those oil rigs on the horizon.... and maybe an environmental disaster or two. Everyone likes scrubbing pelicans clean, right? Bang up job, Barry. Concede early, get nothing in return. I'm sure this will all help us get a climate bill that would have been to ineffective in dealing with the environmental problems of a decade ago, let alone today.