by Calculated Risk on 1/31/2006 05:37:00 PM

The AP is reporting:

President Bush ... [will say] Tuesday that "America is addicted to oil" and must break its dependence on foreign suppliers in unstable parts of the world.

The problem is not the source of the oil, but that America is addicted to oil in general. Oil is a global market, and to break the addiction the US needs to reduce consumption, not drill for more domestic oil. Unfortunately Bush's energy policies have been focused primarily on oil, even promoting the consumption of more oil with tax breaks for small businesses that buy large SUVs. From 2003:

This year, the perks of buying a large SUV — if you're a small business owner — got even bigger.

Congress recently passed a tax bill, as proposed in President Bush's economic stimulus plan, that offers a $100,000 tax credit for business owners who purchase any vehicle weighing 6,000 pounds or more when fully loaded.

There are several benefits of moving away from oil; economic, geopolitical and environmental. Hopefully, Bush will not call for more domestic drilling (a huge mistake), but instead call for new innovation and more conservation.