Democrats POed at Saudi Arabia want troops out
Democrats in Washington are enfuriated that Saudi Arabia and OPEC want to cut oil production, which will lead to higher pump prices for gas.
Within minutes of the OPEC+ announcement, the White House warned it will “consult with Congress on additional tools and authorities” designed to curb OPEC’s “control” over energy prices.
That vague statement appears to be a thinly veiled warning that President Joe Biden could consider a dramatic and risky step: Throwing his weight behind NOPEC legislation.
Short for the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act, NOPEC would empower the Justice Department to go after Saudi Arabia and other OPEC nations for antitrust violations.
Yet some analysts warn such a move could backfire, setting the stage for a tit-for-tat battle with the world’s largest producer group that drives gasoline prices even higher. CNN
Not to be outdone, a trio of Democrat Congresscritters (Tom Malinowski of New Jersey, Sean Casten of Illinois; and Susan Wild of Pennsylvania) announced they would introduce a bill to remove all US troops from Saudi Arabia and the UAE due to their “hostile act against the United States and a clear signal that they have chosen to side with Russia in its war against Ukraine”.
“Both countries have long relied on an American military presence in the Gulf to protect their security and oil fields. We see no reason why American troops and contractors should continue to provide this service to countries that are actively working against us,” they added. “If Saudi Arabia and the UAE want to help [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, they should look to him for their defense.”
The United States has about 3,000 troops in Saudi Arabia and 2,000 in the UAE, numbers that have been boosted in recent years to help protect those countries from missile strikes by Iran-backed rebels in Yemen.Military.com
I see NOPEC as a positive step, in a way – for 50 years we have had the capability to do something about energy independence, and yet for only a few years have we actually even approached it. 50 years in which we have made baby steps in fuel efficiency… and have adopted giant trucks and SUVs as our grocery-getters. We made progress on freeing up our huge reserves of shale oil and gas – only to have our current administration throttle future growth in its first days in office. Gee, if there was only something like a pipeline to bring in oil pumped on this continent somehow… or a way to harness all that DC hot air for electric generation.
Having our troops stop defending the Saudis? I have always resented our guys being used as janissaries by the turbaned set, but surely there are better ways out than by inviting the Russians in to guard the world’s biggest oil supplies. Think the Nord Stream debacle is a pretty clear indicator of how reliable an energy partner they would be. Maybe we should let the Yemeni Houthis know we are taking a training holiday – till next year.
Category: "Teh Stoopid", Democrats, Foreign Policy, International Affairs
We were energy independent 2 years ago. We were the world’s largest oil exporter.
I’m getting an authentic Atlas Shrugged vibe here. The answer to more failed social policy that damages the economy is more social policy that will fail and damage the economy.
Who is John Galt?
This shit can’t get any better. I love it but no popcorn for me.
The Biden – Harris Administration is bringing back the glory days of JFK. Slow Joe is now talking about Armageddon by way of a nuclear exchange with Russia.
Good thing that we were able to get Donald Trump out of The White House, otherwise we would have rampant inflation, unchecked criminal violence, and the threat of WWIII.
Joe thinks he is JFK and will stare down the Russians
thus saving us.
BUTbutbut no more mean tweets and hurt feewings!
The whole world getting destroyed is a small price to pay. /sarc
So, no oil = no more spare parts for Saudi Air Force?
That would work for me!
Well, there is that…
Gee……what solution could there POSSIBLY be to both counter the OPEC cutting production AND reducing gas prices?
Lemme think……it’ll come to me……just a minute now…….I KNOW!!!
Start handing out those oil leases, open the XL pipeline, authorize the refineries to run full open (maybe even authorize the building of a few more refineries – how long has it been since any new oil refineries have been built? anyone know?)
(all of the above said with tongue firmly planted in both cheeks at the same time)
All of the above makes too much common sense, the FedGov will never make it happen.
Will not happen under a socialist democrat regime. Particularly not this one.
According to Forbes, the last NEW refinery was built in 1977 in Louisiana.
I had a great-uncle who helped drill in Saudi Arabia in the late 30’s early 40’s
He could not find work in the USA ’cause a jar of nitro blew at the wrong time & sent his femur into his pelvis.
He also had a knife scar on his cheek – a “gift” from a drunk Mexican who never had a chance to sober up.
So, in Saudi, he walked with a limp, carried a knife, had a knife scar and still ran a drilling rig.
“When he spoke, an Arab moved.” They figured he’d cut them next.
Which, IMHO, is the only way to deal with an Arab – make him afraid that if he tries to inshallah he’ll meet Allah rather rapidly – and he’ll look oddly like Satan.
Ditto with Afghans.
Happy to be the contrarian. A rational nation has no permanent friends, just permanent interests. It was in the Saudi’s interest to ally with the US towards the end of the last century, since the US was there anyway and we had a common enemy.
The US has strayed from supporting Saudi interests right after Biden backstabbed them in 2020. Twice.
Now the same jolly Obama crew of appeasers is back in Iran on the verge of releasing billions of dollars to the terrorist regime, as they gleefully refine uranium to higher levels of enrichment.
The perfect storm of incompetence displayed by this bad joke of an administration is the sole reason we are dependent on foreign oil in the first place, remember?
The Saudi’s sandbagged Joe’s handlers- they were there just a couple weeks ago- and the proggies in charge arrogantly missed the signs.
Now they’re outraged and demand, what? “..full of sound and fury; signifying nothing.”
Fuck ’em if they can’t take a joke.
I can’t fault the Saudis for putting Saudi Arabia first.
If only our “leaders” would put America first.
AWWW GEE WHIZ, the D-rats ended our days of being energy independent, returned us to their “Good Old Days” of being dependent on OPEC and now they can’t handle having to lay in the nest they shit inside of!
OPEC has never been our friend. It was built just to screw over western countries hungry for Middle East crude. Maybe if we weren’t so focused on buying “renewables” from China and instead put our money into developing our own resources, we wouldn’t be threatening OPEC with anti-trust lawsuits. OPEC is designed from the outset to be a price fixing organization. Of course they’re monopolistic.
Such a phrase to fit any occasion; “Joe Biden could fuck up a wet dream”.
I’ll play. “…a two car funeral.”
Next.
A one car funeral on a one way street…
Proverbs had these idiots in DC figured out.
“Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.”
The current administration, like previous dem versions have no clue about economics and think the economy can be controlled by direct instruction to private companies and exterior countries. They lack any comprehension of competition and a free market. Kind of like pure communist and dictatorial governments.
The reason oil was cheap during the Trump years was because we were in direct competition with opec to supply oil. As a result, opec lowered prices and increased production to maintain a sizable share of the market. Once president dementia shut down our oil industry the competition to opec went away. Now they are empowered to directly control oil prices to their satisfaction and make it more profitable for themselves. The idiot in DC basically handed them almost a monopoly on oil. Now they are in competition with russia who is facing sanctions on the sale of oil so their unable to compete freely with opec.
The stupid is just so damn strong in DC.
Nailed it!