"America is addicted to oil" - Looking back at the State of the Union, 2006

Given todays crisis with the rising prices for oil and the rising prices for food, I thought it would be interesting to look back at George W. Bush's statement "America is addicted to Oil". As astonishing as it was for GW to be so honest as to admit the national addiction, as I reread the State of the Union speech this statement was embedded among some interesting promises related to freeing the U.S. from dependence on oil. But in the end I think of those as hollow promises because in the end this is President Enron, Vice President Halliburton, and the rest, who have lied us into a war meant to capture control of the Iraqi oil, and how honest could he really be to actually propose that the U.S. stop spending money on Oil?

What does America is addicted to Oil mean? To me it refers to all the ways in which Oil use is taken for granted as the only way we can conduct business in the U.S.A. The default method to move your body from one location to another? Why, it's to hop in your car and drive. And for 99.999% of Americans that means burning oil. There are a few, like me, who have gone through the steps to have vehicles which don't require burning oil.

Here is the full context of what GW Bush said: (full transcript, State of the Union 2006)

Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. And here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world. The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001, we have spent nearly $10 billion to develop cleaner, cheaper, and more reliable alternative energy sources -- and we are on the threshold of incredible advances.

So tonight, I announce the Advanced Energy Initiative -- a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research -- at the Department of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. To change how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more in zero-emission coal-fired plants, revolutionary solar and wind technologies, and clean, safe nuclear energy. (Applause.)

We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We'll also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from corn, but from wood chips and stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years. (Applause.)
Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reach another great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil imports from the Middle East by 2025. (Applause.) By applying the talent and technology of America, this country can dramatically improve our environment, move beyond a petroleum-based economy, and make our dependence on Middle Eastern oil a thing of the past. (Applause.)

He's not proposing any fundamental reform. He's simply proposing finding a way to keep business as usual (cheap energy allowing Americans to be fully wasteful) ... bleah.