Jeffrey A. Setaro

Everything old is new again or here we go again… Back to the 70’s. Every time I listen to democrats in talk about energy policy I feel I’ve been transported back to the 1970’s.

Admittedly some of of their suggestions like making sure your tires are properly inflated or getting regular tuneups are basic commonsense things that most of us do anyway. That’s not what worries me it’s thing like Barack Obama’s “windfall profits” tax on oil company’s and their complete refusal to talk about domestic oil drilling that worry me.

It’s time to face reality:

1. Conservation alone is not going to solve our energy problems.
2. Alternatives like Biofuels have their own pitfalls. Principle among them is that they’re helping drive up global food prices.

Like it or not oil is the life blood of our ecconomy and it’s high time we faced reality and started to expliot domestic reserves.

Ted Stevens (R-AK), the longest serving GOP senator, was indicted on corruption charges today. The indictment includes seven counts of failing to disclose more than $250,000 in gifts and services from an oil services company that helped renovate his home.

All I can say is: it’s about time!

More here, here and here.

I’ve been digging around looking for something interesting to blog about over the past few days and so far I’ve come up dry. I could write about Barack Obama’s world tour but that’s been done to death and frankly I can’t think of anything hasn’t already been said. So I thought rather than leaving you with “dead air” for another day or two I’d share a few must reads with you.

The first two are from today’s Wall Street Journal:

The Greatest Scandal, Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2008

The profound failure of inner-city public schools to teach children may be the nation’s greatest scandal. The differences between the two Presidential candidates on this could hardly be more stark. John McCain is calling for alternatives to the system; Barack Obama wants the kids to stay within that system. We think the facts support Senator McCain. Read the rest…

Docking Paychecks for Politics, Wall Street Journal, July 28, 2008

The mighty Service Employees International Union (SEIU) plans to spend some $150 million in this year’s election, most of it to get Barack Obama and other Democrats elected. Where’d they get that much money? Read the rest…

The Second two are from today’s New York Sun:

The Tipping Point, By Michael Barone, Creators Syndicate Inc. July 28, 2008

Sometimes public opinion doesn’t flow smoothly; it shifts sharply when a tipping point is reached. Case in point: gas prices. $3 a gallon gas didn’t change anybody’s mind about energy issues. $4 a gallon gas did. Evidently, the experience of paying more than $50 for a tankful gets people thinking we should stop worrying so much about global warming and the environmental dangers of oil wells on the outer continental shelf and in Alaska. Drill now! Nuke the caribou! Read the rest…

Thinking About the Dollar, By Martain Feldstein, Project Syndicate, July 28, 2008

How much further will the dollar fall? Or has it already fallen so far that it will now start to move back to a higher level? Read the rest…

And finally from the American Thinker:

The Operative Term is ‘Hubris’, By J.R. Dunn

He has a seat on his campaign aircraft marked “president”. He has taken a shot at creating his own presidential seal, complete with Latin motto. He has laid claim to personal control over the world’s oceans and seas. He has repeatedly attempted to dictate how and on what level he, his ideas, and his activities may be discussed. He has encouraged a portrayal of himself as a messianic figure, including a portrait of himself as Christ, complete with halo. He is even now completing a triumphant grand tour of the old world, during which he attempted to shanghai an ancient monument for personal use without consulting the host government. Read the rest…

Whew! That was fun… I just finished moving jasetaro.com to a new web host. I won’t get into all the details I’ll just say that over the that over the last couple of weeks its become clear that my old host wasn’t going to be able to me my needs, so I fired them.

So far I’m completely happy with my new hosting provider, InMotion Hosting… Which is something I can’t say about my old host.

Anyway, the champagne is on me.

Congratulations Padraig Harrington, Champion Golf of the Year.

Harrington fired a 1 under par 69 on Sunday to win his second straight British Open Championship.

Democrats have spent virtually every waking minute of the last 5 years predicting disaster in Iraq. They’ve so thoroughly invested themselves in defeat one has to wonder what they’re going to do now that the situation there has improved so dramatically that even the mainstream media has taken notice?

For the moment they seem to be in denial and clinging to the same defeatist mantra they used since 2003. They seem to have completely missed the surge, the Anbar awakening, the collapse of militia groups and the growing strength of the Iraqi government. They keeping focusing on the increasingly rare suicide bombers, coalition casualties, and the difficulties the Iraqi government is having accomplishing a few legislative benchmarks.

I’m not ready to join Michael Yon and say the war has ended but I think we’re finally on the right track.

Take a couple of minutes to read The New Reality in Iraq By Frederick W. Kagan, Kimberly Kagan & Jack Keane in today’s Wall Street Journal and then checkout While America Slept (Part One) at the Mudville Gazette.

I think it’s safe to say we’ve turned the corner in Iraq and it’s time for Democrats to face the reality that not only can we win in Iraq but that victory is close at hand.

I’ve long considered The New Yorker to be nothing more than quasi-intellectual crap and their latest cover does nothing change that opinion.

The cover, which is supposed to be satirical spoof of the fears and lies about Obama, depicts Barack & Michelle sharing a celebratory fist bump in the oval office. There’s a portrait of Osama Bin Laden on the wall and a burning American flag in the fireplace. He’s dressed in Muslim garb and she’s dressed as a revolutionary complete with assault rifle and bandoleer of bullets.

I agree with the Obama campaign it’s tasteless and offensive… At the same time I have to say: Man Up Barack! As bad as the New Yorker’s cover is it is, as Michelle Malkin notes, no worse than what President Bush or Condoleezza Rice have been subjected to.

The American Thinker is one my daily must reads and this mornings piece by Kyle-Anne Shiver “Could 2008 Be a McCain Landslide?” certainly has me thinking. I’m not ready to join Ms. Shiver out on that limb though, frankly I’m more pessimistic about John McCain’s prospects than she is. That said her analysis is definitely worth reading.

My fellow conservatives, it’s time for us to face an ugly reality - we had a bunch of lackluster uninspiring presidential candidates to choose from and now we’re stuck with John McCain as our nominee. I’m no McCain fan, I don’t like him and I don’t trust him to stand up for conservative principles. But given the choice of voting for him or Barack Obama it’s a no brainer… I’ll hold my nose and vote McCain.

Yes, we could cast a protest votes and write in Fred Thompson or Newt Gingrich but the reality is neither one of them has a snowballs chance in hell of actually winning. So we’re stuck with the choice between bad and worse, personally, I’ll take bad over worse. There’s at least a chance we’ll be able to influence John McCain in less bad direction but there’s no chance at all we’ll have any sway over Barack Obama.

Yes, I’m sick of having to choose between the lesser of two evils but I don’t see where there’s any other choice.

This isn’t exactly a ringing endorsement but for better or worse I’m voting for McCain and I hope you will too.

I had a minor database problem this morning and had to restore from a backup. Unfortunately any comments that were posted yesterday were lost.