Cheney Admits that His Warning of Chinese Oil Drilling Was Wrong

Before 9-11, the rationale for expanded oil drilling was sustainable energy for an expanding economy. Then, after 9-11, it became an anti-terrorism measure. Most recently, Cheney rose the alarm that we had to start drilling because the Chinese are coming. He insisted that Chinese were drilling under contracts with Cuba 60 miles of the Florida coast. He has now admitted that that is false and his office explained that his source was George Will. I thought that was the Vice President and the President’s reigning energy expert. Yet, he gets his industry intelligence from columnists?

Cheney’s alarming call was made before a friendly and alarm-ready crowd: the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. He warned “Oil is being drilled right now 60 miles off the coast of Florida. We’re not doing it, the Chinese are, in cooperation with the Cuban government. Even the communists have figured out that a good answer to high prices is more supply.”
The argument that we needed a thin black line of rigs to hold off the Chinese hoard was a theme of other leading republicans.

House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio — “right at this moment some 60 miles or less off the coast of Key West, Fla., China has the green light to drill for oil.”

Rep. Roy Blunt of Missouri, a leader of a GOP energy task force: “Even China recognizes that oil and natural gas is readily available off our shores, thanks to Fidel Castro.”

Next week: drilling is needed immediately to employ teenagers for the summer to decrease teenage pregnancies and crimes.
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