Guillani says $200 a Barrel Oil

[tabs]

Mr G said on Hanity and Combs that if the USA fails or is defeated in Iraq the consequences will be $200 a barrel for oil.

Now its been said on National TV. To remind U all, I said that before. Mother says thats my ego at work, the reminding U and all. So please forgive me.

I don't need to say how bad that will be for the economy. I don't need to say how much that will change the lives of Americans.

But all of Bushes options at this point are bad ones, he picked the one that was the best of the lot.

If we go into Iraq and really use an iron fist without the Liberals wringing their hands about hurt feelings...we have a chanch.

we gotta be tough at some point and not worry, our backs are getting to the wall. The quivering punk Liberals still havn't quiet gotten the message. They may get their chanch to run things in 2008, and in 2012 who ever gets in will have to pickup the wreckage. I hope ther will be something left to salvage.

I don't think Bushs plan is gona work, cause I don't think the Iraqis are up to it. I think that government is gona dissolve and all he11 is gona break loose in spite of American presence. I also worry that the American military can't do anything unless its filled out in triplicate. The one thing that gives me some hope is that the Iraqi troops that they are planning on using are Kurdish...I hope those boys know how to slit some throats in a darkened room.

Now another pop-up from my ego...remember I told ya about the Kurds taken over the place...

PS. U have to watch what the Dems actually do in the next week or so. But my guess from the Durbin speech is that the Dems have agreed to let Bush play this card to see if it works, and they are giving him until November to do it. The Durbin speech was the Bad Cop telling the Iraqis your on your own if U don't shape up, cause if we have our way your on your own.

McCain said the Dems are gona have to tell America what their plan is in the Region if we pull outa Iraq. Therein lies the dillemma, cause they are starin at the same blank wall the Bush admin is starin at. There is no plan that is gona save us. WE CAN JUST PICK ONE AND SEE WHERE IT TAKES US.

[azasadny]

The cost of oil cannot be measured in terms of $ alone, the dead bodies have to be calculated as well...

[turbo6bar]

$100/bbl would be a real strain, much less $200/bbl, particularly if the price hits and stays. Gotta remember we didn't stay above $75/bbl very long.

I agree that a winnable exit from iRaq is very improbable, and cut and run is worst choice. If we leave, the country will fall into further chaos, eventually requiring a UN force with firearms featuring rubber projectiles. We really could use a plan that doesn't suck.

[jyl]

We're now reduced to trading lives for oil and economy.

Seems to me, we have to decide what is the value of maintaining current oil $/bbl range and thus delaying the next oil-driven recession - value in US lives, degradation of US military, and US military spending.

For instance - admittedly these numbers are somewhat made-up - is it worth annually 2,000 US dead (+20K wounded), further reduction in number of combat-ready units in US, and $100BN additional defense spending, to temporarily keep oil in $40-80 range instead of in $80-120 range?

If I saw us aggressively driving down US oil consumption, it might be more palatable to keep trading lives for oil. Of course, I'm not the one who will lose my life or that of a husband, son, brother, etc; if I was, I might consider the idea of such a trade repellent.

What seems crazy is to keep making this trade, while doing very little to reduce oil consumption. I see no meaningful increase in CAFE fuel economy requirements, no push for mass transit, no drive for alternate energy/hybrid cars, no urgency for energy conservation. Instead, I see rafts of muscle cars and big pickups at the Detroit Auto Show. The only thing I see is a push for ethanol and that is mostly another form of farm subsidy.

The (current) US government still totally doesn't get it.

[speeder]

How much was a barrel of oil before we set Iraq on fire?

[hytem]

Sounds like the same old fear stuff which has become a Republican trademark--unfortunately.

Oil spiked to $75 in October, hours following Bush's stupid answer to a stupid reporter's question as to whether he would use nuclear weapons to destroy Iran's nuclear sites. He said he would use any means available, including N.W.s. I heard it. I also saw the oil futures price spike hours later. That was the last time anyone mentioned using nuclear weapons.

It was the dumbest comment I've ever heard from Bush, and the media let it slip. Since when is it our policy to first-use nuclear weapons? Bull****. Bush shooting from the hip again.

That $75 oil spike raised interest rates temporarily, which prompted an increase in energy prices and a housing market slowdown we are still trying to recover from--even though mortgage rates are currently below 6%.

Guiliani is full of crap. The market controls the price of oil--not a bunch of extremist Muslims.

The smartest thing Bush could do right now is get the troops out ASAP--and keep them out of Baghdad--where there is a real civil war going on. But he isn't very smart. Trying to keep Iran's influence out of Iraq without Saddam around is downright naive.

[m21sniper]

If oil goes that high it will become economical for us in the Western Hemisphere to begin to extract the massive(yet hard to reach/refine) reserves in Canada....which is the worst thing that could possibly happen to OPEC.

And the best thing that could possibly happen to US in the long term.

Turbo6Bar: The UN wants nothing to do with Iraq. You may recall right after the invasion they started to get involved, but bolted as soon as the guerilla activities heated up.

[coloradoporsche]

Mr G said on Hanity and Combs that if the USA fails or is defeated in Iraq the consequences will be $200 a barrel for oil.

Just more government fear mongering. Don't fall for it.

[hardflex]

A view on that from a "Goldwater Republican"

[the]

I think while oil is a concern, there is more than that.

First the facts. This was the biggest clusterfuch of our lifetime, was idiotic, unplanned, unrealistic, etc. etc. etc. No matter what Bush does, this one tremendous mistake forever ruins his presidency and his legacy.

But we are where we are, with no time machine, so we have to deal with it.

Even if we take oil out of the equation, we need to find the best possible solution because we can't just walk away, permanently. We could pull everyone out, the region would certainly descend into total chaos, and sooner or later it is going to be a problem we are going to have to deal with again, only it will be worse.

If that presumption is true, the options with regards to the number of troops seem very limited at this point. Pick the least worst one, of only 3 basic options: 1) Keep troop levels the same, 2) reduce troop levels, 3) increase troop levels.

Option 1 clearly didn't work, and isn't going to work.
Option 2 - if Option 1 didn't work, Option 2 certainly isn't going to either.

Which leaves . . .

[Moneyguy1]

And yet, on the CNBC cable station the other day, an industry insider said it is just as likely to drop to the $20 a bbl range. Based on what, I do not know, but apparently the experts have a different take than an aspiring presidential candidate.

Sensationalism is one of the tools used by politicians to get attention.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

The cost of SUCCESS in Iraq is $200 a barrel oil.

At least "success" in terms of achieving what I'm sure is the real goal to us being there - making Bush's oil buddy backers even wealthier at the expense of the rest of us.

[tabs]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
$200 a barrel of oil would encourage real alternative energy (not this silly corn-based ethanol) development, which is sorely needed...

-Wayne

+1

[Jim Richards]

tabs, will your 911S will run on veggie oil?

[legion]

Originally posted by Wayne at Pelican Parts
$200 a barrel of oil would encourage real alternative energy (not this silly corn-based ethanol) development, which is sorely needed...

-Wayne

Which is exactly why OPEC will prevent that from happening in my lifetime.

[tabs]

Originally posted by azasadny
The cost of oil cannot be measured in terms of $ alone, the dead bodies have to be calculated as well...

I wonder if the Liberals realize that when they fill up their SUVs at the gas pump.

[tabs]

Originally posted by Jim Richards
tabs, will your 911S will run on veggie oil?

It doesn't run well now, I just look at it and sometimes get in and go vrooom vrooom and pretend Im at LeMans.

[Jim Richards]

Maybe we can hitch it up to be pulled by some horses.

[tabs]

Originally posted by coloradoporsche
Just more government fear mongering. Don't fall for it.

Price of oil is determined by market forces.

If Saudi, Jordan and Iran go to war. The first things targeted by both sides will be oil production facilities. Since 25% of the worlds oil comes from the Gulf Region ANY DISRUPTION or THREAT OF DISRUPTION would send the price of oil soaring.

I've said that a dozen times allready, what don't U get. More importantly why don't you agree?

[john70t]

And just think.......Every anti-environmentalist right-winger since 1974(that's over 30 years folks) has been busy putting the ME leash around our economic nuts.

Who, I means who, would'a thunk it would ever be pulled?