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WASHINGTON,
D.C. – U.S. Representative Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) issued today’s “Bush Administration’s
Misstatement of the Day” on the rising cost of gas prices.
As
a candidate for President, then Governor Bush clearly articulated what
he would do to convince the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries
(OPEC) “to open up the spigot.” Governor Bush said:
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“I
think the president ought to get on the phone with the OPEC cartel and
say: ‘We expect you to open your spigots’ …The president of the United
States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price. And if, in fact, there
is collusion amongst big oil, he ought to intercede there as well.” Financial
Times, February 2, 2000
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“I
would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot,
to increase the supply. … Use the capital that my administration will earn,
with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.”
New York Times, June 28, 2000
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“We're
dependent upon crude. … I would hope the administration would convince
our friends in OPEC to open the spigots.” Los Angeles Times,
June 22, 2000
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“I
think Americans ought to be asking, ‘Where's all the capital we earned
overseas after defending some of our OPEC nation friends?’” Associated
Press, March 20, 2001
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“Well,
we've got good relations with a lot of members of OPEC. If the president
does his job, the president will earn capital in the Middle East, and the
president should have good standing with those nations. It's important
for the president to explain, in clear terms, what high energy prices will
not only do to our economy, but what high energy prices will do to the
world economy.” CNN, January 26, 2000
However,
gas prices have risen over 11% since President Bush took office.
And following last week’s announcement by OPEC to cut oil production
by 4%, White Press Secretary Scott McClellan told the Associated Press
that the President Bush had not telephoned OPEC leaders about their decision.
(Associated Press, “No new 'jawboning' by Bush as OPEC cuts production,”
3/31/04)
Schakowsky
said, “America deserves better than what they have been offered by President
Bush. President Bush must finally follow through on this campaign
promise and immediately call on OPEC to increase supplies. For our
long term energy strategy, we must invest in clean energy and technology
and increase CAFÉ standards so that cars can use less gas and so
that consumers can save more. That is the only way we will truly
reduce our dependence on foreign oil.” (Read
Schakowsky’s full statement from today’s news conference in Chicago)
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