Bush's Tired Response to our Energy Problem

President Bush's remarks today are a reflection of the sparse options available to an administration beholden to -- and in many cases one-time employees of -- the very corporations they talk about. We cannot drill our way to lower prices, and further polluting our air and shoveling more tax breaks at oil companies are a tired response to a problem that begs for resources, innovation and above all, leadership.

One answer is simple: Raise mileage standards for automobiles and put the full force of the federal government behind a crash program to develop, perfect and market innovative, renewable and clean energy sources.

Another part involves scaling back federal tax giveaways to companies like Exxon/Mobil, the oil giant who has so much spare cash they can afford to give their retiring CEO a $400 million goodbye kiss while working Americans pay through the nose.

The final answer is just as simple, but requires even more work: The voting booth. This year, of all years, change is in the air. It began with the appalling response to Hurricane Katrina and continues today with record high energy prices. The only way to assure change, however, is at the polls, and that means voting out of office members of Congress who side with President Bush and Big Oil, and thus refuse to support a new clean energy future.