but i'm too stupid to know any better.

At least, according to Newsweek I am. (No, I'm not linking you directly. If you want to read such a ridiculous piece of tree-destroying excrement, look it up yourself. I refuse to enable you.) 

I dunno. I expect I'm not the brightest bulb in the chandelier, but even I can call bullshit without too much trouble. 

Take this Keystone business. No, really. Take it. Elsewhere, that is. It's apparently not welcome in the United States, according to The Anointed One.

According to WaPo – among other sources – The Lightbringer refused to cave in to Congressional pressure and outright rejected a Canadian application for a permit to build and operate a pipeline that would stretch from the oil sands fields of Canada to the refineries of Texas.

But it's not his fault. It's Congress' fault, for imposing an "arbitrary […] deadline" that prevented the State Department from making a thorough study.

*coughbullshitcough*

You see, there's already been studies and proposals and information gathering. For quite some time. So what's the real reason?

"The administration will allow TransCanada to reapply for a permit after it develops an alternate route around the sensitive habitat of Nebraska's Sandhills."

I read this as "The administration will allow TransCanada to reapply for a permit when they bend over and take one from His Holiness the President."

"Industry officials and analysts said they expect TransCanada to submit a new route proposal for the Nebraska leg of the pipeline within two weeks. TransCanada declined to comment on the matter Wednesday."

Wonder why? Oh, I dunno. I just read this article from Bloomberg, though, which gives even stupid little ol' me some pretty good insight as to why. 

"Canadian policy makers reacted to President Lightbringer's decision to deny a pipeline permit by pledging to rely less on the US for energy sales and export more oil to Asian markets."

Nice move, fuckhead. (No – not you, Mr. Harper. The fuckhead in the White House.)

Look, according to Heritage, this is a project that would have created 20,000 "shovel-ready" jobs right off the bat. It would have brought somewhere around 700,000 barrels of oil daily into the Gulf states' refineries, creating nearly 180,000 jobs by 2035.

Those are sorely needed jobs. And that's one of the reasons why this project had the backing of several large labor unions. (Imagine us all on the same side. I think I hear birdies singing.)

"At a time when unemployment remains unacceptably high, Iran is threatening the Strait of Hormuz, and Canada is looking to take this oil elsewhere, it is difficult to understand how the President could say no to thousands of jobs and an increase in energy supply from our ally."

And as far as environmentalist lobbyists and their opposition to this project – and it's there – even nutcase Secretary of Energy (!) Stephen Chu grudgingly supported the project. He's among several of The Anointed One's staff, appointees, or allies who gave it a green light.

Me, I think it's more of a pissing contest than a valid dismissal. The Anointed One has to mark his territory.

WaPo's article on the second page tries the Newsweek approach to downplaying how this will affect the Emperor's electability. 

"There is no – we repeat no [sic] – polling on how many people are even aware of the pipeline (or the debate over it), a fact that suggests that it's not penetrated anywhere close to broad public awareness."

The reporter has a valid point in that; I've not seen any polls, but the mainstream liars-for-hire aren't doing much to push the issue in front of people. So who would care about answering a poll about it? Though I agree that the mass electorate honestly wouldn't care, mostly because American Idol is on tonight and OMGWTFBBQthatsoooooooooooomuchmoreimportant!!!!!!1!!!

Yet there should be a reason for His Assholyness to worry. When even Jennifer Rubin sees hay to be made of this ridiculous decision, one should assume that any Average Joe can put two and two together and see who to blame. 

And when gas prices hit $5 a gallon, you'll know who to thank. At the ballot box, preferably.

Comments

[beth]

And gas is already projected to hit $5.00 per gallon this summer. Just before election time. Bad timing. And they call us "stupid."

[Mom]

I can't even see straight I'm so mad. He wants to stimulate the economy and make jobs and this is what he does. We need the jobs and the oil.
Why not just hand over the country to China now and then we can eliminate the stress and sorrow of a dead country. If the idiots that elected this moron can't see this along with the rest of the electorate, we are doomed.

[Karen]

Can we please elect someone new now? I can't afford any more "stimulus".

[Anniebananie]

Somehow, I'm not surprised by this. I'm saddened, I'm mad, but I'm not surprised. I can only hope that the labor unions remember this come election time. I doubt they will, but I can hope.

Mom - we are doomed. Most of the populace just hasn't realized it yet. And this is the country in which we are raising our children. I'm scared as hell. (Sorry Kel for hijacking).

[Emily]

My best guess is that he's given in to the environmentalists in his base on this issue - it's an election year, ya know. Since you're not going to vote for him even if he were to approve the pipeline, he'll aim for someone who might not have voted for him if he had.

What do I think? I was a little surprised that there was a decision at all, but I haven't heard much detail about the story, just that even Nebraska republicans weren't happy about the planned route, but were working on a change. The sandhills are pretty important to my family, so I'd prefer if they didn't get damaged. :)

[Mom]

I am so sorry that my children and their age group along with their children will never experience the wonderful and fruitful America that I knew. Life was so great. We didn't have a lot, but we never lacked for anything and everyone loved this country and stood for it. What is happening now would have been unthinkable. People wouldn't have let it happen. Oh and gas was only 25 cents a gallon when I learned to drive. The young had better get with it if they want to keep this country.

[Cindy in Happy Valley]

A little ticked off are we? Well, even more...ummmm...confounding is why he first decided it was AOK (yes, he really did) and now it's a "no". Why one wonders...maybe because he needed a bone to throw to his "green" base. Nah! Couldn't be that.

Me thinks this will come back to haunt him. I intend to make it my business that it does.