Fat people, Bush responsible for oil prices

About an hour ago, the BBC had the news that Saudi Arabia has refused to raise oil production, rejecting Bush's plea and guaranteeing that $4/gallon is about a week away.  This was followed by some analysts explaining just why there wasn't a hope in hell that the Saudis would comply. 

In a word, they're pissed.  Bush promised a quick victory in Iraq followed by greater stability in the Middle East.  That was six years ago.  What he's given the Saudis instead is greater instability, a Sunni-Shiite war, and a lingering mess that John McCain thinks may go on forever even as we settle into an enormous and threatening embassy complex in Baghdad.  The Saudis may be corrupt and autocratic, but damfools they're not.

Bush isn't entirely a fool either.  Part of the reason for oil prices soaring has to do with speculation on the commodities markets.  If you've got the bucks -- and got-the-bucks people are more likely than not to be Bush supporters -- this has been a great time to invest in oil futures.  You can make more than enough betting on higher oil prices to fuel multiple cars and a lavish life-style.  Would you want your chosen president to achieve a drop in oil prices if you're making out like bandit every time a quarter is added to the price of a gallon?

You commodities speculators and your chosen elected leader might not want to accept blame, though, for the fact that (in part due to our sudden inflation), 10% of Americans are now on food stamps.  (Bah humbug!  Food stamps are a socialist conspiracy, anyway!)  So the BBC provides you -- and people forced to apply for food stamps -- with someone else to blame.

Obese people are contributing to the world food crisis and climate change, experts say.

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine calculated the obese consume 18% more calories than average.

They are also responsible for using more fuel, which has an environmental impact and drives up food prices as transport and agriculture both use oil.

The result is that the poor struggle to afford food and greenhouse gas emissions rise, the Lancet reported.

By the way, instead of vetoing the bill Congress passed requiring the suspension of oil shipments to our strategic oil reserves, Bush has his Department of Energy complying (more or less), according to a report just in from AP.

The Energy Department says it has canceled oil shipments into the Strategic Petroleum Reserve beginning in July when the current purchase contract expires.

The move came days after Congress passed legislation requiring the president to suspend the shipment into the reserve in hopes of lowering gasoline prices.

The Energy Department said it will not sign contracts for new shipments of 76,000 barrels of oil a day for the six-month period beginning July 1. President Bush had opposed halting the shipments, arguing that such a relatively small amount of oil would not influence prices. Current shipments will continue. The reserve is 97 percent full, holding 701 million barrels of crude.

Well, July is closer to the election than May...