Oil reserve challenged in House

The House Select Committee on Energy Independence and Global Warming met to discuss opening the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in an effort to alleviate Americans' struggle with high gas prices. Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) told the committee that average Americans will pay $2,370 per year on gas at current rates and said the White House for opposing measures that would bring immediate relief at the pump. He said the Reserve is 97 percent full, the most it has ever been, with 706 million barrels of oil.

Rep. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) stated that she does not support releasing oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. She said the Reserve is intended to respond to national emergencies when oil supplies are severed, nothing that a supply cut has not occurred. James May, president of the Air Transport Association, said the price of gas is an emergency for the families of 32,000 airline employees who have lost jobs due to tighter airline budgets. Markey said Democrats in Congress desire to help lower the cost of gas in ten to twenty days, contrasting this with Republican's calls for more drilling, an avenue he said would take ten to twenty years. Blackburn said Democrats have failed to develop a rational energy policy.

Kyle Simpson, policy director of Brownstein, said an announcement from the White House that the Strategic Petroleum Reserve was being opened would instantly lower prices, citing past actions taken by President George H.W. Bush, President Bill Clinton, and President George W. Bush. Joe Romm of the Center for American Progress advocated releasing a portion of the Reserve to the market incrementally. He said if prices do not to drop upon release, the failed strategy would demonstrate how "useless" is the Reserve is. According to Romm, the Strategic Petroleum Reserve's development stemmed from oil shortages caused by international conflict, saying that the modern globalized economy makes the risk of sudden oil shortages unlikely. Speaking passionately into his microphone, Romm stated that the current threat to the oil market is high prices, questioning the Reserve's purpose if current prices do not qualify for the release of oil.

Obama's "eyes and ears closed"

In a press conference this afternoon Republican Senators and Congressmen launched an attack against Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) by launching a new seven minute video titled "The Obama Iraq Documentary: Whatever the Politics Demand." The video asks the question: Where does Barack Obama stand on Iraq? In the video, Obama's own words are used against him to paint the senator as a politically expedient politician who will say and do anything to get elected.

"I am not persuaded that 20,000 additional troops in Iraq is going to solve the sectarian violence there [Iraq]. In fact, I think it will do the reverse," Obama is shown saying in a video clip. The next slide shows in big bold words the phrase "said he always said the surge will make things better."

Republican Sen. John Kyl (R-Ariz.) who was joined by Senators John Thune (R-N.D.), Richard Burr (R-Va.) and Representatives Eric Cantor (R-Va.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) as they launched their attack on Obama. Kyl said "Barack Obama announced a plan for Iraq before even going there. He believes Iraq is a political issue. "This is political expediency in how he views the war," said Kyl. Thune added on Obama by saying "one thing that has been clear it's you can guarantee he will take the position that will satisfy the far left of his party."

Blackburn of Tennessee concluded the press conference when she chided Obama for voting to "de-fund the troops." Blackburn added, "he's already made up his mind on Iraq before even going there with his eyes and ears closed." Blackburn concluded that she hopes that because Obama isn't going to Iraq for a fact finding mission and will not meet with any foreign leaders that he should spare the troops "the phot-op."