The Keystone Pipeline is back

Growing up in Pennsylvaina (the "keystone State"), I learned that a keystone is the centermost stone in an arch. The weight of both sides of the arch press against the keystone and hold it in place. Absent a keystone, the arch could not stand.

Not many people build stone arches anymore, but keystones now come in other forms. Perhaps the most important recent keystone has been the Keystone Pipeline, a 1700 mile long pipeline to carry crude oil from Western Canada to refineries in Houston. The Keystone pipeline is intended to bring an additional 700,000 barrels of oil each day to these refineries. The oil is to come from the tar sands in Alberta. This source of oil is currently producing much less each day, so the pipeline will add over half a million barrels each day to the world supply of oil, an increase of over one-half of a percent in supply. such an increase in supply would put pressure on the world price sufficient to either bring it down or, at least, to stop its rise.

President Obama vetoed construction of the Keystone Pipeline, and last week he lobbied Congress successfully not to overturn that action by authorizing construction. So Obama has prevented this major increase in the world supply of oil, and more particularly a major increase in the American supply of oil. This has not played well at a time of dramatic increases in the prices of oil and gasoline.

In an effort to dull the pain he is suffering due to opposition to the Keystone Pipeline, Obama is today going to announce that he will not oppose construction of the southern quarter of the pipeline. Then, Obama is going to take credit for working to increase energy supplies. Of course, Obama's actions are ridiculous. One cannot get oil from Canada (where the oil is located) to Houston by building a quarter of the pipeline. It is like buying a car without wheels or a plane without wings. Obama is building and arch without a keystone. The whole thing will collapse.

That Obama hopes to convince American voters that he is doing something positive on the Keystone pipeline tells us all just how stupid Obama thinks the American public is. Let's not fall for this new and insulting gambit.

Obama has got to go!!!!!