On her Tuesday evening "On the Record" program, Greta Van Susteren interviewed Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi. The cost of gasoline was the first topic discussed. The speaker told of actions the Democrat-controlled Congress has taken. Charitably, these are marginal at best, yet Van Susteren didn't challenge Pelosi. Then the host asked about assigning blame for high gas prices:
VAN SUSTEREN: Do you assign all of the blame for the high prices on the Bush administration, or do you look back historically to a number of factors, including appetite by the American people, other administrations, other Congresses?
PELOSI: No, I don't assign blame to the Bush administration, I accuse them. I am more direct than that. I accuse them of ignoring something that was becoming apparent over time.
Ten years ago the price was under $11 in 1998--under $11. Two weeks ago, the cost of oil went up in one day nearly $11. So the policy decisions made by this administration in terms of energy have contributed to this oil crisis by not accepting early on the need for us to have renewable and other alternatives.
This would have been a perfect time to ask Nancy Pelosi about promises she and other Democrats made only two years ago. Three months before the 2006 elections that put her party in control of Congress, Newsweek and Princeton Survey Research Associates found that Americans trusted Democrats to do a better job of handling gas prices. A much better job, by better than a two to one margin over the GOP.
Was that confidence justified? The week the Democrats smashed Republicans in the 2006 elections, the retail price of regular reformulated gas was $2.22, according to data compiled by the U.S. Department of Energy. This week, the price is more than $4.00.
Before the election that made her House speaker, Nancy Pelosi cranked out a press release announcing: “Democrats have a commonsense plan to help bring down skyrocketing gas prices. . ."
Where, oh where, is that commonsense plan? Greta Van Susteren didn't even bring such assurances up. She just let Pelosi pass more Democratic gas. Quite a newshound and seeker of truth, that Greta.
