Archive for Desidooru Saloon

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Second thoughts about the Pickens Plan

I’m rapidly losing faith in T. Boone Pickens and his mission to change the tenor of the idiotic debate over energy in this country.

I already expressed mild misgivings the week he unveiled the Pickens Plan. But I gave him points for…

4Aug2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

Keeping a pulse on $200 oil

As much as the Freddie and Fannie bailout might occupy our attention today, we can’t overlook the story that could easily bring about $200 oil.

Over the weekend, the Times of London had a breathless piece about how Team Bush has…

15Jul2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

Speculators, again

Another week, another round of blaming “speculators” for high oil prices.

The latest luminary to weigh in is the former Saudi Arabian oil minister Sheikh Ahmed Yamani. (Yes, he’s still alive.)

He says the situation today is far different than it…

8Jul2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

Saudi Arabia’s power struggle

America is not alone when it comes to Peak Oil versus cornucopians. Saudi Arabia has its own factions, each led by former executives at Saudi Aramco.

Today’s edition of Mr. Murdoch’s new rag spins a pretty good yarn of Sadad al-Husseini — who’s…

30Jun2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

The intellectually barren offshore drilling debate

At least one of Matt Simmons’s forecasts is not yet bearing fruit — his 2006 prediction that Peak Oil would come to dominate the 2008 campaign. For the debate over offshore drilling that’s erupted this week has shed absolutely no light…

23Jun2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

The Intellectually Barren Offshore Drilling Debate

At least one of Matt Simmons’s forecasts is not yet bearing fruit — his 2006 prediction that Peak Oil would come to dominate the 2008 campaign. For the debate over offshore drilling that’s erupted this week has shed absolutely no…

19Jun2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

Xenophobia redux

For the third time in my lifetime, a storm of revulsion against foreign investment in the United States is beginning to gather. Only this time the clouds appear much more ominous.

The first episode, dating to my childhood, came a few…

13Jun2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued

The ugly Americans

In the mad rush to blame speculators for high oil prices, our solons in Washington have inadvertently revealed a U.S.-centric, 20th century mindset.

I’m sure Sens. Carl Levin and Dianne Feinstein think they’re enlightened types, far beyond any sort of “ugly…

8Jun2008 | Desidooru Saloon | 0 comments | Continued