CEO’s and Lobbyists Formed Bush Energy Policy

If you subscribe to the school of slightly paranoid
political thought that sees the last 50 years of American history as
a titanic struggle
between two power centers, the old-line gray flannel Wall Street/Ivy/Media
nexus and the up-and-coming Cowboy/Oil/Energy military/industrial nexus,
then it will come as no surprise that the White House collaborated closely
with corporate CEO’s in developing President Bush’s energy policy but
repeatedly refused to give congressional investigators details of the
meetings.

Specifically, according to a report released yesterday by the General
Accounting Office, the investigative arm of Congress, Energy Secretary
Spencer Abraham privately discussed the formulation of Bush’s policy "with
chief executive officers of petroleum, electricity, nuclear, coal, chemical,
and natural gas companies, among others." The same old gang, or
clique, or cabal, depending on your degree of paranoia.

An energy task force, led by Vice President Dick Cheney, relied for
outside advice primarily on "petroleum, coal, nuclear, natural gas,
electricity industry representatives and lobbyists," while seeking
limited input from academic specialists, environmentalists, and policy
groups, the GAO said.

Surprise, surprise.  But since. according to prevailing conspiracy
theory, the centerpiece action in the friendly competition between the
two power centers was the assassination of an American president, I guess
we should be thankful that the current cupola is content with screwing
us out of 2 bucks for a gallon of gas…

from the Boston Globe