With the high cost of gasoline becoming a major election issue, President Obama seems to have found a ready-made scapegoat today, insisting that Iran is actually to blame for the price at the pump.
“Right now the key thing that is driving higher gas prices is actually the world’s oil markets and uncertainty about what’s going on in Iran,” Obama insisted. “[T]hat’s adding a $20 or $30 premium to oil prices, and that affects obviously gas prices.”
Obama made similar comments at multiple campaign spots, insisting that domestic oil production has nothing to do with the high cost of fuel. The size of the “war premium” on a barrel of oil, and indeed whether such premiums exist at all, have been a topic of regular debate among economists.
But blaming Iran as such for the premium is entirely misleading, since it is not Iran, but rather US and Israeli threats to attack Iran, that have created that uncertainty. While the threats are nothing new, there seems to be a consensus that they are getting more “serious” and that Israel in particular could decide to start a major war in a matter of months.
That global security would rest in the hands of lunatic Israelis is unsettling in the very least.
makes one wonder if oil speculators are from israel.
What do you mean by using “IF” questioning the truth of the matter, Goldman Sachs is from Israel or they are Israelis Americans, like Senator Lieberman having two passport, which is not illegal but when it comes to supporting Israel blindly is a matter of being biased…? By the way, what happened to that $53 billion dollars Libyan money in hand of GoldMan Sachs and some other banks here in US and EU…..? What happened to that English inquiry regarding Tony Blair and his lying about Iraq war.
No, it's not what is going on in Iran…it's what the US/EU/Israel are talking about doing TO Iran – it's the beating of the war drums that has got the oil speculators all antsy and the price of gas skyrocketing. Perhaps if the US/Eu/Israel were to take a step back and cool their jets for a while the price of gas might come back down…oh, wait, that's can't happen until just before the elections in November…how silly of me.
How about regime change in Tel Aviv next? How much longer can the world stand to live with Israel led by kooks like Bibi Netanyahu and Avigdor Lieberman?
How can a man in such an important position, one who seems so intelligent, make such a totally stupid comment? Aside from being belligerent beyond comprehension, Obama must truly believe that the American people are totally stupid.
Well, actually the American people have repeatedly shown themselves to be very very stupid, so let's not blame Obama for taking advantage of it.
Well said, except that looks may be misleading.
Obama "seems so intelligent" only when compared to a refugee from Idiocracy. This is the dolt who blamed ATMs for continued high unemployment. One wonders if he could do anything more than recite the alphabet without a teleprompter.
Even worse, he's a total paranoid, as evidenced by his blaming everything and everyone else for his failures. Capt. Queeg must be his #1 role model. If he's re-elected, he'll likely spend most of his 2nd term rolling steel balls in his hand.
As they say in French, c'est le retour du baton, Obama blame yourself for your f..ked up foreign policy and licking Zionist arses. War crime criminal with a nobel peace prize, what a shame
Classical example of Bizzaro world TM, by Justin Raimondo . Obama and his Israeli firsters in the US and EU slap sanctions on Iran, oil prices go up, they blame Iran. Incredible chutzpa to say the least.
This reminds me of the zionist who stabs you and cried in pain as his knife is going in your flesh.
He should have said that it was 'uncertainty over what is being done to Iran' not 'what' s going on in Iran'. Iran is not threatening to start a war, they are 'threatening' to defend themselves against an attack.
"Misleading" isn't the word for it.
So after almost a year of threatening to attack Iran, the increased cost of oil is Iran's fault. Wow. We live in Kafkaland.
Just how many congress critters and administration flunkies have inside information and are trading commodities contracts right now? The answers would tell you all you need to know.
“Right now the key thing that is driving higher gas prices is actually the world’s oil markets and uncertainty about what’s going on in Iran,” Obama insisted.
He did not specifically blame Iran. The “…uncertainty about what’s going on in Iran.” Is about the outcome of his recent sanctions on the Iranian oil. If one reads carefully one notices that he’s putting the blame on his own actions, in a round about way.
big bad iran strikes again. ..
what are they going to do next? steal Christmas?
Blowback of Empire? Oops! I guess he didn't take that into consideration with all the sanctions and stranglehold, eh? The empire never, ever learns from history. No wonder Gore Vidal calls this here abomination "the United States of Amnesia."
this just in..
Iran has kidnapped the easter bunny….!!
The price of easter eggs are going through the roof!!
If Obama did not facilitate the rise in global oil prices, he would be terminated.
That is one of the core, fundamental reasons he (like his predecessor, the draft-dodger/war criminal Cheney and his predecessor, the draft-dodger/war criminal Clinton) was sent to Washington in the first place (along with facilitating perpetual war, ensuring endless corporate bailouts, and, above all, bringing this nation ever closer and closer to total, absolute tyranny and terror).
And he, like his predecessors, has been brilliantly successful.
The Question is: What is to be done? How is The Fourth Reich to be confronted, combatted, defeated, and destroyed?
How? When? And by Whom?
Birth certificates are not interesting but a few brain scans might help.
Biggest hypocrite in the white house and biggest liar as well! Let's do everything that we can to hurt Iran financial and economically and then blame them for our high gas prices! When does the hypocrisy stop??? Do not these people have souls??? Apparently, not! They have got to be well constructed machines or better yet, they are simply demonized!
I voted for Obama but to think that he now thinks that Iran is responsible for the rise of oil prices in the world is very disappointing. The rise is due to Isreal threatening the bombing of peaceful nuclear sitesw in Iran and the USA as its pupet in backing up their plan. When will America learn that the cause for unrest in the Middle-East is Israel and not the other countries. Wake up Obama or be left behind.
The organisers had hot showers at the site ( they were hosing some people down the steam was coming off them!). Looked like fun, even though it was probably cold, wet and exhausting.
Same old Barack Obama. Always blaming this and that for his administration's failures. Under his mentality, he has done no wrong. Under his leadership, no reforms were made in the energy industry. Even puwer regs regulations remain antiquated.