Mr. President! Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean!

Mr. President! Free Border Patrol Agents Ramos and Compean! Please join fellow GOPUSA activists in petitioning President Bush for a full pardon for Agents Jose Compean and Ignacio Ramos.

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When Barack Obama was recently asked if record gasoline prices could actually help Americans, surprisingly he replied, "I think that I would have preferred a gradual adjustment." In other words, Obama doesn't mind record high gasoline prices -- he just would have preferred that the staggering price increases be more gradual.

That is not a surprise. Not long ago, Obama proudly told America that if he were president, he would "be counting on Al Gore to help [him formulate his administration's energy policy]." What many people forget is that Al Gore has been calling for government to artificially raise the price of gasoline through higher taxes for more than 15 years. Gore wrote in his 1993 book, Earth in the Balance, "Higher taxes on fossil fuels ... is one of the logical first steps ...." In 1993, as Vice President, Al Gore pushed hard for an energy tax increase that would have increased the gasoline taxes to more than $1.50 per gallon in most states. And Gore has long endorsed the idea that Americans pay as much as Europeans for gasoline. Today the price of gasoline in Europe averages almost $10 a gallon. No wonder Gore and Obama are happy -- they are almost half way to their goal.

When Barack Obama says he doesn't mind current record gasoline prices, believe him. While much of what he says is designed to obscure his true views, when it comes to his desire for higher energy costs, he is telling the truth.

In another moment of candor, Obama recently told Americans, "We can't drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times ... and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK." Why does Obama think Americans need to get the world's approval (perhaps the UN's approval) to eat a hamburger, drive the family van to visit grandma, or heat or cool our home? Is he running for President of the United States or General Secretary of the U.N.?

I have news for Senator Obama -- Americans will not tolerate him or the world demanding that we obtain their approval for how much we eat or where or what we drive. Additionally, Americans are unhappy about how expensive gasoline is because families are finding it harder to make ends meet. Despite Obama's opinion, Americans wouldn't be happy with the current record high gasoline prices if only they had risen to their record highs more gradually.

The truth is gasoline is hitting record highs because of politicians like Barack Obama, Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi and Al Gore. High gasoline prices are not caused by big oil, or by speculators or even by OPEC. Why do we expect OPEC nations to pump more oil when we have staggering amounts of oil right here at home that we will not pump because of legislation passed by the likes of Barack Obama?

The dirty little secret that Obama doesn't want you to hear is that current high prices are the direct and natural result of years of profoundly stupid energy policy generated in the U.S. Capitol which have made us more and more dependent on foreign oil and less and less capable of producing more of our own energy.

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