On The President’s Lap
April 26th, 2006On the President’s lap sit a variety of issues, and pre-eminent on the lap of Bush are atoms, as in nuclear material. George Bush is crazy in love with nuclear material, and that has led thirteen of the nation’s most prominent scientists to write the President about the need to take nuclear weapons off the table with Iran, preventatively. The message there echoes that of Arthur Schlesinger, which is probably a bad thing in the President’s eyes. Either way it’s the right advice, and I do hope someone in the White House is giving it to him.
On Bush’s table is also the issue of nuclear energy and energy in general along with global warming, and there’s an argument to be made for nuclear energy instead of coal power as our nation’s way to charge up. To me, it appears the most sensible course of action. I don’t have the numbers offhand, but I would imagine that instituting nuclear power plants all over the nation would do much more for the cause of eroding the effects of global warming than would simply and solely some sort of regulation of carbon dioxide emissions from cars. Of course, that too must be done, as well.
George Bush is being Jimmy Cartered as we speak, seemingly by history and his own party. The Daily News draws the comparison and launches the attack, labeling Bush’s latest comments about gasoline prices (”The American people have got to understand what happens elsewhere in the world affects the price of gasoline you pay here”) as being the equivelant of “You’re on your own,” and that being the same as Jimmy Carter’s malaise speech. Perhaps it is, but I don’t think so. Congress is more to blame for our issues with energy than anyone, because no matter what the President wants to do the Congress won’t allow it — although, with that, I am referring to nuclear energy and a pullback from coal and carbon emissions. As far as gasoline prices, nobody is willing to do the right thing and raise a fifty cent gas tax which would lower demand for gas and, thus, lower prices for it.
Not only are atoms and gas prices on the President’s agenda, but he’s got Snow on his lap. Tony Snow, that is. Yes, Tony Snow, the Fox News commentator, has joined the Bush Administration as Press Secretary. My first thought about this is that it puts light to the lie that there’s a right-wing conspiracy at Fox News to help Conservatives: a conspiracy is discreet, and this is out in the open!
Kidding aside (we all know and will always know that Rupert Murdoch is the right’s attack dog), Tony Snow becoming the Press Secretary is a good thing, provided they carry through on their commitments. What does that mean? That Bush stick with his promise to give Snow “a seat at the table and all the access he wants and needs, including walk-in privileges” because otherwise Tony Snow is just another warm body meant to throw off the press, and that doesn’t do anyone good. For Bush to be successful from here on out as a President, he’ll have to let Rove roam the prairie and Bolten to bolt the doors shut on those who have closed the door on sound policy (mainly Rove). In addition, he’ll have to keep Snow warm instead of letting him go cold.