Congress Passes bill to Address Oil Refinery Shortages in United States

Gas prices have become a big deal throughout the country. Here Congress has passed bill 5254 to address this issue. This bill has obvious political ramnifications. It also has huge supply-side potential. More U.S. refineries makes will lower fuel prices around the world.

"No new refinery has been built in the United States in 30 years, and the high gas prices we're experiencing at the pump are directly related to our nation's lack of refinery capacity," Souder said. "In fact, there are currently 148 operating refineries in the United States, down from 324 in 1981. The result has been a bottleneck in domestic refining and an increased reliance on foreign refineries. This bill would make it easier to construct new refineries here in the United States."
"In early May, the Democrats took advantage of the parliamentary process and killed this bill," Souder added. "Fortunately, we were able to bring it back up for consideration, and it was passed today." - Congressman Mark Souder (IN3), co-author of the bill.

The Refinery Permit Process Schedule Act would:

• Establish a federal coordinator to convene all U.S. government agencies responsible for issuing permits to develop a refinery facility, and help them coordinate and expedite their schedules so that decisions on permits can move more efficiently;
• direct the President to identify at least three closed military bases as suitable sites for new refineries, one of which must be designated for biofuel refining;
• give the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency priority in the scheduling coordination, thereby preserving the strict environmental standards that must be met for these facilities to be developed.
  
  H.R. 5254 will now be sent to the Senate for further action.

What Does the Death of Al-Zarqawi Really Mean?

We all remember the "mission accomplished" fiasco, and the promises of brighter times after the capture of Saddam. The Bush Administration has learned from those episodes because it is being tight-lipped about better times due to the killing of Al-Qiada in Iraq Leader Al-Zarqawi.

They are taking a wait-see attitude on this one because they aren't yet sure of what it actually means for the war on terror. Here are a few of the scenarios on which they are looking.

If the power structure for the terror cell was concentrated in Al-Zarqawi and a few others, then the logistical, and financial means of Al- qaida in Iraq may cause it to implode.

There is also the chance that there will be an internal power-struggle amongst mid-level leaders. A civil war so to speak within the cell. This may also cause the terror cell to splinter into several smaller cells.

Whichever road Al-Qaida in Iraq travels will have ramnifications for President Bush and Republican leaders come the November Elections. It is too early to tell whether this will stem the tide of problems for the GOP or be another "Mission Accomplished" fiasco.

Culture of Corruption Platform not Working

Democrats are now in scramble mode for their current platform. In the wake of the Abramoff, Delay, and Cunningham scandals. Most had put the culture of corruption issue at the top of their platforms.

In Cunningham's district, Republican Brian Bilbray defeated Democrat Francine Busby to fill out the remainder of Cunningham's term. Busby ran on the culture of corruption issue.

Democrats and Republicans alike were looking at this district as a litmus test to judge their/ their opponent's strength's and weaknesses on the issue. If there were ever a district that could be susceptible to the corruption issue it would be California Congressional District 50.

Why didn't this issue take hold as much as the Democrats thought it would? Because it can't be used as a primary issue. As a candidate you need to campaign on what your plans are once you are in office. If your goal is accomplished just be being elected then voters won't vote you in.

The corruption issue is a supplementary issue. It is to be used in conjunction with a platform built on things that are to be worked towards while in office. While it will give them a nudge upward at the polls, and in some cases put them over the top, for the most part it will not be as strong of a topic as they felt it would be.

For Democratic party to become successful it must return to being the party of ideas rather than be the anti Bush/GOP Party.

Hillary vs Big Al

Hillary Clinton is currently the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for President in 2008. However, her polarizing persona is causing Democrats to question whether she has what it takes to take on a Republican challenger.

In a recent Rasmussen poll, 38% said that they would definetly vote against her in a general election. That doesn't leave a lot of wiggle room with independents.

In recent elections the most visible potential candidates have struggled when it came time for the primaries. A prime example is DNC chairman Howard Dean. He was the early favorite until Democrats questioned his viability after a couple of PR snaffus. That caused a shift from him to other candidates. Hillary is in danger of having the same thing happen to her.

There will probably be around six candidates for the nomination. Should one gain momentum early they will overtake her for the nomination. One potential suspect is Al Gore. His vocal opposition to the Iraq war and the sagging popularity of Bush could cause voters to take a second look at him.

Al stands a better chance at beating a Republican candidate than Hillary does.