Like a Dying Cellphone Battery...

Atrios has started to pump out more posts on energy recently. The latest one seems partly inspired by what Bush had to say today. The main contention echoed by Yglesias and commenters on the Eschaton leads to this: Bush has started to become Carter, and Ford Motor Co. has started whining.

Oh, and conservation is a personal virtue, NOT a basis for public policy. My host told me that.
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So now he's like President Carter, only without the intellect or honesty.
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Okay. So instead of using the regulatory power of government to force the automakers to increase fuel-efficiency, he decided to use the bully-pulpit to encourage people to drive less..... Sounds like an energy plan to me!
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Didn't Cheney dismiss conservation as a "personal choice"?
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Bush's next step is to issue an executive order prohibiting anti-war demonstrations as it takes an enormous amount of oil to transport pissed off Americans to D.C.
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I never thought I'd miss Nixon.
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Gore was pretty much mocked his entire campaign, in part for his "wacky" environmental views. .... Who's laughing now.
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So now we're closing American schools because we're run out of the will to pay for the energy costs to keep the open. ... We really are doomed.
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It's the price of gas, stupid...
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Wait a minute. If we start conserving our fuel consumption, our soldiers will have fought for nothing in Iraq.
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If I can't drive my Canyonero at 85 mph, the terrorists have won.
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Excuse me for being petty and vindictive, but I just love to say "It must suck to be you" when I am gassing up next to someone is a big enormo-SUV.
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What's worrisome about this is that oil may be the only thing that Chimpy actual knows a little something (albeit it not much) about.
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George Bush, Failed Oil Man. ... The only west Texas oilman who couldn't find oil in Texas.
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In a related story, President Bush today announced that he will use 4,000 gallons of jet fuel to fly to Louisiana again this week to strike a decisive-looking pose in front of a carefuly constructed backdrop.
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Matt expends much energy talking about the need for a policy aimed at conservation. ... What he fails to realize is that the Bush junta has no policy. They are pure politics, all the time. They don't make policy decisions at all; they only make decisions based on what they think will keep them in power.
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Lowering the price of gas only encourages people to drive more. ... You are correct sir. We're in Bizarro World.
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It was a natural disaster for oil!

But leave it up to Phila to trump the snark-fest with this line:

My understanding is that the new head of NPR is turning it over to Jenna and not-Jenna, and it'll now be called "All Thongs Considered."

The actor who played Butch (the "bully") on the Our Gang comedies died recently. Ford crying over Toyota's head start and the sad state of affairs of American hybrids reminded me of the gang episode when Alfalfa started pounding on Butch in the boxing ring, with he-man Butch eventually driven to tears and whimpering uncle.

In the world's economy, we can cast Ford in the role of "Butch" and Bush can play "Woim", Butch's loyal, but quiet, lieutenant. Woim finally gets the chance to venture into the limelight, mumbling platititudes on conservation, but hasn't the conviction to pull it off.

Bush: Two other points I want to make is, one, we can all pitch in by using -- by being better conservers of energy. I mean, people just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption and that if they're able to maybe not drive when they -- on a trip that's not essential, that would helpful. The federal government can help, and I've directed the federal agencies nationwide -- and here's some ways we can help. We can curtail nonessential travel. If it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail nonessential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees. We can encourage employees to carpool or use mass transit. And we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours. There's ways for the federal government to lead when it comes to conservation.

The tough guy sheen has certainly wore off quickly, if anybody noticed it in the first place.

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Also, Stirling at BOP News leads a group of like-minded bloggers who each contribute fine energy economics-related comments daily. Check out this piece by oldman.