Saturday, August 02, 2008

Not Seeing Beyond the End of Their Noses

Radio reports heard this morning on Barack Obama's "tweaking" and "finessing" (not flip flopping) of his energy policy included the statement that "energy analysts" did not think that increasing domestic drilling for oil would have any immediate impact on the price of gasoline, as it would take 10 years for expanded drilling to result in an increase in fuel production.

Even if one grants, and it is arguable, that these analysts are correct, isn't their myopia part of the reason that we have reached the current mess? Such energy analysts seem to be joining a glut of American politicians who seem to think that nothing really counts as a problem or a solution unless it plays out by the middle of next week. Such thinking, or lack thereof, has contributed heavily to the lack of a coherent national policy with regard to energy, transportation, housing, and entitlements. Those are the most important issues in the current domestic debate, but that list could be easily expanded.

Of course, leadership is not required to any convincing degree if the thinking is merely short-term. American politics, on both the left and the right, currently suffers badly from a deficit of true leaders.

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