Oil Entitlement

Hillary Clinton was stumping in Hattiesburg, Mississippi recently. Here is an excerpt:

"Oil hit a $104 a barrel," said Sen. Clinton. "The president said 'I sure wish they'd drop the price' and they said 'No, we won't, Mr. President.' And he said he was disappointed."

Sen. Clinton continued, "I've got to tell you you won't see me holding hands with the Saudis. You'll see me holding them accountable for what they do to the oil price and to our country."

Hold them accountable. Uh, actually Canada supplies more oil than Saudi Arabia, and neither is close to cornering the U.S. import market. Do Democrats actually believe this conspiracy stuff? Oil is a fungible commodity, and the price is set by a world market. Hillary and Obama both lamented the Bush administration's lack of tact on foreign policy. Now, it seems she's saying that we should twist arms to manipulate the outcome of free market trade in our favor.

I'm seeing a pattern here. Democrats think that the solution to everything is a new entitlement. Need healthcare? By golly, government will give it to you. Wages too low? We'll just pass a law saying you get a "living wage." Oil too expensive? Government will make it cheaper by dictating to those dastardly foreigners! No thought is given to the fact that all of these are economic exchanges, people trading goods and services for mutual gain. Strong-arming the Saudis isn't going to change anything. The world oil supply cannot be changed much by an angry woman in the Whitehouse. In the long run, oil demand driven by growth in China, India and all parts of the world will continue to rise.