SOTU

“Keeping America competitive requires affordable energy. Here we have aserious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported fromunstable parts of the world.

The best way to break this addiction is through technology. Since 2001,we have spent nearly 10 billion dollars to develop cleaner, cheaper, morereliable alternative energy sources – and we are on the threshold ofincredible advances. So tonight, I announce the Advanced EnergyInitiative – a 22-percent increase in clean-energy research at theDepartment of Energy, to push for breakthroughs in two vital areas. Tochange how we power our homes and offices, we will invest more inzero-emission coal-fired plants; revolutionary solar and windtechnologies; and clean, safe nuclear energy.

We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase ourresearch in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and inpollution-free cars that run on hydrogen. We will also fund additional research in cutting-edge methods of producing ethanol, not just from cornbut from wood chips, stalks, or switch grass. Our goal is to make this new kind of ethanol practical and competitive within six years. Breakthroughs on this and other new technologies will help us reachanother great goal: to replace more than 75 percent of our oil importsfrom the Middle East by 2025. By applying the talent and technology ofAmerica, this country can dramatically improve our environment … movebeyond a petroleum-based economy … and make our dependence on MiddleEastern oil a thing of the past.”

This little part of the SOTU speech was quite surprising. I’m all for clean energy and if Bush is serious about implementing it I applaud him. But it is interesting. The need for clean energy is framed as an economic issue, not an environmental one. But in the latter part of his comments on divorcing the oil monster he refers to “…dramatically… our environment”. So, basically what he is doing is not admitting that there are environmental problems, thereby appeasing the right wing environmental apologists, people like Tim Blair, whilst on the other hand he is subtly appeasing the mainstream who is daily being confronted with evidence that we are on the verge of environmental collapse.

The rest of the speech was just blah, blah, blah… Evil doers… blah… add some lies about a robust economy, mix, and consume.

[Update: I was wrong to get excited, it was all bullshit as usual]