Bush "Mis-spoke" About 75% Mid-East Oil Reduction Plan

Environmental Action Blog is reporting that Bush mis-spoke on his pledge to reduce oil imports from the Mid-East by 75%.

"Turns out that Bush's signature goal (as weak as it was) of reducing America's dependence on Mideast oil by 75% in 20 years was actually his best punch line. According to the Secretary of Energy, Samuel Bodman, it was just a figure of speech. The President has no intention of reducing our actual imports from the Middle East, instead his Cabinet members are saying that the goal is to displace the equivalent amount with biofuels.

The reference to the Middle East was "purely an example," said Bodman. The Middle East was just a convenient reference point. In the end, their plan has nothing to do with reducing Middle East imports.

Granted, oil is a globally traded commodity so there will always be a challenge in ending imports from a specific place. But the President's language was intentionally misleading.

What Bush actually said: "Breakthrough on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."

You can't fault 30+ million viewers with assuming that Bush meant what he said. (Although you do think we'd have learned by now).

Instead what the President meant to say was:
"Breakthrough on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace the equivalent of more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025."

Say what you mean, George. Or better yet, just resign and let someone who knows what they're doing take over. At least with Cheney we'll know we're gonna get dicked.

environment, Bush, oil