Tuesday, June 24, 2008 | 2:03 a.m.
If President Bush had used his Republican majority at the beginning of his presidency, he might have been able to start drilling offshore and in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and even help jump-start alternative fuel industries. Seven years later, we might have had enough of our own oil to reduce our dependence on Middle East oil.
If he had made better use of our military capabilities to go after Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, we might have caught him. Instead, he decided that going after Iraq’s oil would be a smarter move. Why did our administration think that Middle East oil was worth a war?
Why has this administration never encouraged conservation?
Although I favor of protecting our environment, I do not believe dependence on the Middle East is smart. Many residents of those nations hate us and many support insurgents who are killing innocents.
I also do not believe in a “windfall tax” on our country’s largest oil companies. Subsidizing oil companies and taxing them at the same time doesn’t make a lot of sense.
I just returned from three weeks in Europe. Gasoline is between $6 and $8 a gallon. Not once did we see a Hummer or a gargantuan SUV. Europeans have learned to live with high gas prices. We may have to, too.
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