It was May 7, 2001, several months before the horrific events of nine-eleven, and the issue of (you guessed it) energy policy was on the front-burner. Gas prices were (relatively) high and the American people wanted to know what Bush planned on doing about it. While the vice-president secretly met with oil company executives in meetings we may never see the light of day on (blessed the future Freedom of Information Act requests in, say, 2015), the press secretary fielded questions regarding the president's pending energy policy during his daily briefing, and answered them (did he ever) with flair, purpose and definitiveness...
"That's a big no. The President believes that [consuming energy] is an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one. And we have a bounty of resources in this country. What we need to do is make certain that we're able to get those resources in an efficient way, in a way that also emphasizes protecting the environment and conservation, into the hands of consumers so they can make the choices that they want to make as they live their lives day to day.
[...]
"The President also believes that the American people's use of energy is a reflection of the strength of our economy, of the way of life that the American people have come to enjoy. And he wants to make certain that a national energy policy is comprehensive, that includes conservation, includes a way of allowing the American people to continue to enjoy the way of life that has made the United States such a leading nation in the world." (The White House)
The more we use, the more we make. Faith, energy, and the American way...
Labels: bush
