Bush says the "C" Word

"...people just need to recognize that the storms have caused disruption and that if they're able to maybe not drive when they -- on a trip that's not essential, that would helpful. The federal government can help, and I've directed the federal agencies nationwide -- and here's some ways we can help. We can curtail nonessential travel. If it makes sense for the citizen out there to curtail nonessential travel, it darn sure makes sense for federal employees. We can encourage employees to carpool or use mass transit. And we can shift peak electricity use to off-peak hours. There's ways for the federal government to lead when it comes to conservation."

President Bush, speaking yesterday about the nation's oil supply after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

So, it took two storms to get the President to actually consider conserving our natural resources. It's a switch from what the White House was saying four years ago:

"Is one of the problems with this, and the entire energy field, American lifestyles? Does the President believe that, given the amount of energy Americans consume per capita, how much it exceeds any other citizen in any other country in the world, does the President believe we need to correct our lifestyles to address the energy problem?

MR. FLEISCHER: That's a big no. The President believes that it's an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life. The American way of life is a blessed one. And we have a bounty of resources in this country. What we need to do is make certain that we're able to get those resources in an efficient way, in a way that also emphasizes protecting the environment and conservation, into the hands of consumers so they can make the choices that they want to make as they live their lives day to day."

As one reporter put it, the President back in 2001, when energy was a problem as it is now, could have execised moral leadership and called for conservation. Instead, he called for preserving a way of life that was wasteful of the resources we have. Some would argue with then-press secretary Ari Fleischer's assessment that the American way of life is a "blessed one" but I would say if we are blessed, doesn't that also mean we have a responsibility to use what we are given wisely? This president has not called for increased fuel efficiency for autos, including SUVs, nor has he raised the gas tax, which would be a sure-fire way to influences the auto- buying habits of the American public He has let Detroit call the shots on this one.

Don't get me wrong, I am glad that the president is calling for conservation, something that I already do since I take public transit to work and I have a fuel efficient diesel car. But right now we are basically at the breaking point in our fuel supplies. God help us if there is another hurricane that strikes the Gulf Coast.

Part of being a conservative means conserving things. Our environment is one such thing that we ought to be conserving. Too bad it too the President four years to understand that.