From Special Report with Bret Baier Thursday, February 23, 2012
On President Obama’s calls for increased alternative energy research:
… I was impressed by the president’s analysis of this situation where we have no control over the global price of oil. We’re depending on oil from unfriendlies. And he says… drilling for oil to relieve our dependency is not a solution or a plan. He said we have to go to clean energy. He talked about something really revolutionary today: algae. A $14 million grant for the development of algae [was announced].
So it’s not oil. His solution is algae. And because we know the secretary of energy is a physicist who won the Nobel Prize, the president, knowing all this stuff, said one reason we should do this is because “we can grow algae here in the United States.”
It happens that algae will grow anywhere on earth! I looked it up while I was away [the past] three days.
I wasn’t just tanning. I did research.
It grows in oceans, in lakes and ponds, your swimming pool when the pool man is on vacation, in the soil, on the soil, on turtle, sloths, the bark of trees, and rocks.
Why are we drilling for oil? We are the Saudi Arabia of rocks. We have a mountain range called the Rockies — and we are allowing ourselves to be dominated by the oil producers?
I think he is on to something here that is truly revolutionary. Why build a Keystone Pipeline with real oil from Canada to put in real refineries and put in real existing cars when you can do algae?
I think he is on to something. And I think this shows the vision, the hope and change he promised in 2008.
Oh, this has big potential to reveal in a simple phrase how unserious this man is.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHenceforth, he should be referred to as President Algae
Obama is like a lot of people who sound really smart in conversation. He is excellent at pointing out the problem.
Where he's not so hot, is at coming up with good solutions.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAs Homer Simpson would say "In case you couldn't tell I was being sarcastic!"
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseActually, if this means they'll let 'em put the phosphates back in detergents so stuff actually gets clean, I'm all for it. The only reason they took 'em out was to stop the algae, right?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAlgaecide is now a terrorist act against national security.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAn ignorant person is easily misled. That is precisely why O. buys into 'science'. He is absolutely clueless about the simplest of scientific realities, thus, those with a smattering of pie-in-the-sky, ideologically driven, 'science' can get him on board.
When I say 'clueless', I really mean it. Has there ever been a 12 year-old American kid who has not played with a magnet and figured out that there are ferrous and non-ferrous metals?
At an Alcoa plant in Davenport, Iowa, in June, Obama observed machines that milled aerospace parts. He then approached a handful of reporters who had been watching nearby: “Did you know aluminum is not magnetic? I learned something today.”
It leaves me at a complete loss for words...
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf I recall correctly, I thought this algae which grows everywhere was significant in reducing global warming.
So, now we're going to consume it by burning it as fuel? Isn't that a double hit as far as warming is concerned?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI had a parent bring her student to me with a test score from school. He had scored a 5% on a reading assessment. According to the school, in order to get a score that low you have to actually TRY to fail the test. My point? This is intentional, malicious, stupidity.
Barack Obama is sitting in the White House with his advisors laughing at everyone. "They think we're actually trying to come up with solutions, when all we're doing is throwing out one absurd idea after another. Meanwhile, the nation crumbles right on plan. Actually, hey Geitner!, didn't you tell Congress yesterday that the debt ceiling might be reached in November 2012 and not 2013? Man, we are SO ahead of schedule wiping out the United States!"
I'm glad Dr. K met absurd with absurd. This man needs to be laughed at and run out of office on a rail. If Obama keeps talking about algae and how great the economy is doing, they're going to have a hard time getting over 30% in November, even if we nominate Ron Paul.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThere's a part of me that want's to increase spending a little bit, just to ensure that we have another debt ceiling fight right before the Nov. elections.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIf Geitner is already talking about it in February, then Obama has already made the calculation that he can beat the GOP a second time this fall and cruise to reelection. Budget cuts that "hurt Americans" will play into his OWS strategy.
Obama needs to depress GOP turnout...just like he and the GOP demoralized the GOP base last summer with the phony and cynical "debt deal" championed by Kevin Williamson and other NR contributors. Now that Obama has cowed the GOP on FOUR successive occasions, he has made them his bi***.
Recall that we were supposed to hit the debt ceiling in May 2011...but Geitner stretched it out until August. If they wanted this off the radar, Geitner wouldn't be talking about it. I have zero confidence that either Boehner or McConnell will put up more than a show fight.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseDr K. did leave one thing out of his analysis of the President's energy policy - the dollar. The US was already under oil stress well before the diplomatic crisis with Iran began. Since QE2, oil prices remained high despite weak demand here and abroad (as compared with 2007). A weaker dollar begets higher oil prices; a weak dollar encourages hedging and speculating with commodities such as oil and grain. Supply here in the US is not a problem. Oil reserves in the US are at thier highest levels since 2003. And they will continnue to grow as the price of oil surges onward towards $200 a barrel. From an investor's point of view, it is better to buy oil futures (which are gaining in value) than to hold on to depreciating dollars. And if something happens in the Persian Gulf, investors can turn a very nice profit before unloading their barrels of oil on some insuspecting late comer.
The price of oil can send a shock across the US economy like no other event. It's feedback mechanisms can bring our economy to a stand-still. Oil selling at $140/barrel is akin to a trillion dollar tax on the GDP. And speaking of taxes, the Bush tax cuts expire in 11 months.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWho wants to live next to an algae field? Where will the algae refineries be built? Are algae pipelines inherently safer than oil pipelines? Where is our largest algae reserve? ANWR?
By the time these questions are answered, we will be decrying our dependence on foreign algae. Some change.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGreat point, Charles, since the only way to wean ourselves off oil is to NOT investigate other forms of energy.
If we just sit back and do nothing, I'm sure some revolutionary energy source will just magically present itself in due time.
Prayer. That's it! Prayer and wishful thinking is what we need here... certainly not scientific inquiry. After all, scientists are just a bunch of round-earther conspirists.
Once again Charles comes to the rescue with the same clear thinking we've come to expect from him.
Lol.
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