President Bush Should Take His Own Advice to Heart

PRESIDENT BUSH SHOULD TAKE HIS OWN ADVICE TO HEART -- (House of Representatives - April 01, 2004)

(Mr. MARKEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute.)

Mr. MARKEY. Mr. Speaker, the Bush administration refuses to jawbone or pressure OPEC to increase oil production while the American consumer at the gas pump is being tipped upside down and money is being shaken out of their pockets every single day. This is wrong. The President should jawbone OPEC to increase oil production, not to lower the production of oil.

Here is what the President said to Bill Clinton 4 years ago. He said, "What I think President Clinton ought to do is to get on the phone with OPEC and to say we expect you to open your spigots. One reason why the price is so high is because the price of crude oil has been driven up. OPEC has gotten its supply act together and is driving up the price like it did in the past. And the President of the United States must jawbone OPEC members to lower the price." That is the advice George Bush as candidate gave to Bill Clinton.

Now that he is President, he says he cannot jawbone OPEC, that it would be wrong; but the price is being paid by the consumer at the gas pump every single day.

END