Bush, Democrats trade barbs on gas prices

Gas costs too much and there’s more oil available domestically than the nation has tapped into, President Bush and congressional Democrats agreed Saturday. They disagreed on everything else.

With gasoline prices at historic highs and climbing, Republicans and Democrats are trying to position themselves as the party with the solution to an issue that is quickly becoming one of the major campaign themes. Party leaders are tossing policies at each other while assigning blame to the other side for the failure to act. While the GOP advocates more domestic drilling, Democrats want the government to tap into the strategic petroleum reserve to ease gas prices.

{mosads}In this weekly radio address, Bush blamed the Democratically controlled Congress for not acting on his recommendations to pass laws permitting companies to seek oil in the Arctic Natural Wildlife Reserve and offshore on the Outer Continent Shelf, mining for oil shale in the Rocky Mountains, and expanding refining capacity.

“One of the factors driving up high gas prices is that many of our oil deposits here in the United States have been put off-limits for exploration and production. Past efforts to meet the demand for oil by expanding domestic resources have been repeatedly rejected by Democrats in Congress,” Bush said.

In the Democratic response, Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee Chairman Chris Van Hollen (Md.) dismissed Bush’s proposals, saying they would do nothing to provide short-term relief to gas prices.

“When Americans are getting sticker shock every time they pull into the gas station, we don’t have 20 years to wait. We need action. Real action. Fortunately, there is something we can do right now,” Van Hollen said.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) earlier this week called on Bush to tap into the Strategic National Petroleum Reserve, a notion the White House rejected.

Van Hollen said using the reserves is more appealing than asking foreign oil-producing companies like Saudi Arabia to increase supply to bring down price. “I don’t believe we should have an America that goes begging to other countries. We have our own oil stockpile set aside for a time of need. The president should free our oil now,” Van Hollen said.

“With two oil men in the White House, gas prices have nearly tripled, and oil company profits are up over 300 percent,” Van Hollen said of Bush and Vice President Cheney.