In a desperate act of political expediency Obama vows to drill ‘everywhere we can’

Oh, now he's the drilling king?

March 21, 2012:

(The Hill) As rising gasoline prices continue to plague the White House, President Obama moved aggressively on Wednesday to parry GOP claims that he’s stifling U.S. oil and natural-gas development with a short, camera-friendly speech at a New Mexico oil field.

In perhaps the president's biggest photo-op to date on energy, the White House sought to use a clear visual — a working oil field dotted with pumps — to display the increases in U.S. oil production in recent years and support for continued expansion.

“If you hear anybody on TV saying that somehow we are against drilling for oil, then you will know that they either don’t know what they are talking about or they are not telling you the truth,” Obama said, against the backdrop of oil production facilities outside Maljamar, N.M.

“We are drilling all over the place,” Obama added, reading from a speech on his podium on a windy afternoon. “That’s the reason we have been able to reduce our dependence on foreign oil every year since I took office.”

What a difference a few months make... in the election year.

November 18, 2011: Obama Cancels Drilling Leases in Ohio; 200,000 Jobs At Risk

(Washington Examiner) President Obama's United States Department of Agriculture has delayed shale gas drilling in Ohio for up to six months by cancelling a mineral lease auction for Wayne National Forest (WNF). The move was taken in deference to environmentalists, on the pretext of studying the effects of hydraulic fracturing.

So let's not pretend Obama has done this 180° because he now sees the virtues of drilling over environmental considerations. What he sees is his poll numbers sinking. And if he is re-elected, we'll find out that "everywhere we can" really means "nowhere".

I can't wait to see the October ads — "We have to get gas price up to European levels", "Under my plan of a cap and trade system, electricity rates would necessarily skyrocket".