Can Things Get Anymore Bizarre?
In McCain's latest attack ad on Senator Obama, he blames Mr. Obama for the high fuel prices that we are now experiencing. This is so ridiculous that it makes McCain look like an idiot. Let's look at some facts.
- When George W. Bush took office on January 20, 2001, the national average for the price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.46.
- Republicans were in charge of both houses of Congress until the beginning of 2007. At that point, prices had risen to $2.17 per gallon.
- Today the national average for the price of a gallon of gasoline is $3.90.
- President Bush did not lift his father's restrictions to off-shore drilling until just a couple of weeks ago.
- When Former President Clinton took office, the national average for the price of a gallon of gasoline was $1.06. When he left office 8 years later, that average price had risen to $1.46 - almost a 38% increase or less than 5% per year.
- The increase in the price of gasoline from the time President Bush took office until today is 167% or almost 21% per year.
- When President Bush took office, Senator Obama was in the Illinois State Senate.
- Even if Congress had allowed off-shore drilling on the same day that President Bush allowed it and if oil companies had begun drilling off-shore on that very day, the oil from that drilling would not come to market until after the next president left office.
- Even if oil companies were allowed to begin off-shore drilling, there is NO GUARANTEE that those oil companies would sell that oil to the United States. It would go to the highest bidder, most likely, China.
So, how is it that Mr. McCain thinks that Mr. Obama is responsible for high gasoline prices? Is Mr. McCain delusional? Does he think that the American public is so stupid in general that we cannot figure out that his latest ad is another lie? I have seen a quote that John McCain's IQ is 138. From what I have heard from him thus far, I am not inclined to believe that it is nearly that high.
