Andrew Charles – 8/26/05

This page was last updated on August 30, 2005.

Through Republican eyes; Andrew Charles; Beaver County Times; August 26, 2005.

Below is a detailed critique of the subject letter.

“During the Bush and Kerry presidential campaign, the Bush campaign committee ran a little skit quite a few times stating that the price of gasoline would soar if Kerry were elected.

“It showed on TV a man somewhere in the ‘30s running out of gas in an old Model T Ford or whatever on an old country road.

“He got out of his car, pulled his empty pockets out, threw his hands to the sky, shrugged his shoulders and went hobbling down the road.

“I would like Mr. Bush to show that skit again because I’m in need of a good laugh.”

[RWC] I’ll have to take Mr. Charles’ word about the skit since I never saw it.

“To letter writer Dan Reeping (‘Paying the oil piper,’ Friday) I suggest he get his act straight. The few lines he wrote about the Alaskan oil situation were short of explaining the Alaskan situation.

“I remember we had a similar problem with gas prices in the mid-’90s. Prices were rising fast. Our president, a Democrat, Bill Clinton, freed the oil in many storage tanks that kept the prices under control.”

[RWC] According to a web page on the Department of Energy website, no such action took place. The only times SPR stocks were used were in cases of supply disruption, the purpose of the SPR. Below Mr. Charles admonished Mr. Reeping to “do a little more study on a subject before he starts writing.” It appears Mr. Charles needs to check his own facts.

“Can you name me any Republican president who would do that, certainly not Mr. Bush? He couldn’t care less.”

[RWC] According to the DOE, “The Strategic Petroleum Reserve exists, first and foremost, as an emergency response tool the President can use should the United States be confronted with an economically-threatening disruption in oil supplies.” The SPR is not intended to be a price control tool.

“Reeping has Republican eyes. That’s all he can see.”

[RWC] I guess Mr. Charles missed the fact that Mr. Reeping also blamed Republicans. I guess Mr. Charles believes Democrats played no role in holding back exploration.

“I again suggest that he do a little more study on a subject before he starts writing.”

[RWC] As I noted above, Mr. Charles needs to follow his own advice.