Slippery

I love oil. Olive oil, specifically. Have I ever mentioned that before? My favorite lunch is Pasta with Pesto Sauce. Mmmm. Olive oil. Pine nuts. Basil. Cheese. Olive oil.

So, naturally, given my love for oil, I am interested in the oil in Alaska. Well, under Alaska, to be precise. And to be serious, which can be hard for me on a beautiful spring day like today, BP oil is managing to waste that oil even as we speak. There's been a second oil spillage in as many months up in BP Alaska land. Fines from the first spill, which was huge, could reach $2 million smackeroos.

Yet the oil companies and countries continue to push, push, push to drill up beyond Alaska, in those otherwise pristine Arctic regions. Huge circular reasoning going on: there's less ice up in them thar hills, easier to reach the oil, so let's drill and get that oil out. Hang the cost to the environment of relying on oil. And hang the cost to the environment of exposing the Arctic to possible (nay, probable) oil spills. Let's get enough oil to keep the Hummers running, shall we?

There is at least one leak from an oilfield or pipeline every day. Every day. Every single freaking day. And global warming, though a complicated and surely not one note phenomenon, is a fact that every one acknowledges except George W. Bush. So what are we thinking in our push, push, push to drill?

Hmm. Did I hear you say money? Ding, ding, ding. I'm sure that answer is correct. After all, the oil companies are already doing everything in their power to gauge the hell out of our wallets, making record profits while crying over Katrina and the Iraq War. We've even got our representatives fighting for us in the Senate, feebly protesting the gauge. Oooo, they're going to INVESTIGATE this. Feel the earthquake caused by the Big Oil shivering in their boots?

Go over to The Oil Drum, and hear why we should be darn grateful for the higher cost of oil in the long run (save the environment, don't give us more oil). And they also claim over there in Peak Oil Land, that Big Oil isn't artificially raising prices. They are pretty smart over there, and know much more than me, so I'd give their ideas a lot of thought.

Speaking of Big Oil, one of the slipperiest talkers out there (though certainly not slick--geez, those press conferences were painful to listen to) is outta here. Scott McClellan is no more Bush's Press Secretary. In his non-clean out clean out, Bush has had McClellan resign so that news will have a new face. What, they really think that will help the dire situation Bush is in?

Good job, Scotty. War Room has a nice piece on all the questions Scotty DIDN'T answer during his tenure as the Bush mouthpiece. Think the new guy/girl will give us the answers? Don't bet on it. There are lovely rumors afoot that Fox News Tony Snow is up for the job. Wouldn't that be a slap in the face? We knew Bush was in bed with Fox. Just proves it, is all.

And there's the oily Karl Rove to discuss as well. But alas. My flank steak is waiting to broil and my salad cries to be tossed. A discussion of Karl will have to slip away to another day.

Later,
Liz