George W. Bush and Peak Oil: Beyond Incompetence
by Richard HeinbergWhile it would be difficult to create an airtight legal case for impeaching George W. Bush based on his ignoring the very real threat posed by Peak Oil, nevertheless I believe that his actions—and inaction—in this regard constitute dereliction of duty on an unprecedented scale.
It is part of the job of leaders to foresee problems and either steer around them or prepare for them. A head of state is analogous to the captain of a ship, who is responsible not only for keeping his vessel on course but also for avoiding hazards such as storms and icebergs. Some problems are not foreseeable; others are. A ship’s captain who loses his vessel to a freak “perfect storm” may be blameless, but one who steers his passenger liner directly into a foggy ice field, having no sonar or radar, is worse than a fool: he is criminally negligent.
The argument I will make, in brief, is this:
Peak Oil is foreseeable.
The consequences are also foreseeable and are likely to be ruinous.
The Bush administration has been repeatedly warned.
Actions could be taken to reduce the impact, but the longer those actions are delayed, the worse the impact will be.
The administration, rather than taking steps to mitigate these looming catastrophic impacts, has instead done things that can only worsen them.
Let us go through these points one by one.
Which he does at the link:
http://energybulletin.net/14102.html James Wolcott comments on Heinberg's chapter, which will appear in the Summer of 2006 in the book entitled
"The Case for Impeachment of Bush and Cheney":
"Worse than a Fool"
Posted by James WolcottAmong the many peculiarities of this president is his utter refusal to listen to those within his own orbit in the oil realm. It's understandable, if unacceptable, that Bush would ignore the warnings of environmentalists regarding Peak Oil and global warming, but why would he tune out the words of his gummy ally Tony Blair, Matthew Simmons, the expert oil analyst and author of Twilight in the Desert who has briefed Bush personally, and Richard Rainwater?
"Richard Rainwater doesn't want to sound like a kook," began a profile of the super investor in
Fortune magazine, ... link to article:
http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/2005/12/26/8364646<clip>
The only explanation, apart from Bush's cognitive disability in facing reality, is that he sociopathically doesn't care about the coming calamity endangering the planet because he and his cronies will be financially prepared even as most Americans lose their standard of living.
There are so many reasons that Bush's name should be dragged through the dust of his post-presidency for the harm and disgrace his administration has inflicted, and so impeachable offenses for which he would prosecuted today if we had a Congress worthy of the Founders.
His malign indifference to Peak Oil and global warming may be the greatest of his crimes, because it will lead to the misery and deaths of untold millions of people, animals, and natural resources.<clip>
Link to the remainder of Wolcott's essay:
http://jameswolcott.com/archives/2006/03/worse_than_a_fo.php At the time, in the history of humanity, that we most need the smartest, most ethical of leaders, we have a pack of greedy, malignant criminals doing everything they can to ruin the planet and destroy life.
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