Pelosi’s Brain Trust

Nancy Pelosi is calling on the President to release a “small” amount of oil from the Strategic Oil Reserve.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is calling on President Bush to release oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve in order to bring down prices.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) announced to Democratic leaders Tuesday night that she has written a letter to President Bush, urging him to release a “small” amount of oil from the government stockpile to increase supply and decrease prices, a leadership aide said.

To that end, Pelosi launched her crack team to get on television and advocate releasing a “drop in the bucket” solution that will solve nothing.

First out today was Representative Xavier Becerra is Assistant to the Speaker of the House and is the only member from Southern California currently serving on the powerful House Committee on Ways and Means.

He showed up on the Neil Cavuto show today (hosted by David Asman). Becerra was babbling about stabilizing oil prices and discouraging speculators. It was actually painful to watch; I almost felt embarrassed for the congressman in that he was clearly talking about something of which he is clueless.

Finally Asman asked him, “procedurally, how do you get that oil to the market?” Becerra had no clue and it was obvious.

Ironically, Pelosi’s “solution” reinforces what Republicans have been saying all along; increase supply and prices will lower.

In response to Pelosi’s letter, House Republican Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) said the speaker’s call amounts to “admitting yet again that increasing the supply of oil will help reduce the price of gasoline.”

“Today’s proposal by Speaker Pelosi is another acknowledgment that we must do more to increase our energy supply,” Boehner said, “and House Republicans will continue pushing Democratic leaders to act on real reforms on behalf of the American people.”

Category: Politics