A letter to President Bush regarding “The Surge”

I have a feeling President Bush is fully aware of Peak Oil and the stakes on the table for America. I think he was speaking from his heart when he said in his State of the Union Address, “America is addicted to oil!”

I evem have a hunch that every morning President Bush is in the Oval Office he fires up his computer and can’t help but sneak a peek at www.energybulletin.net to check out the latest Peak Oil news.

I was going to e-mail this letter to www.whitehouse.gov but, realistically, it has a better chance of reaching the President if I post it here.

Dear President Bush,

Your troop surge in Iraq is working! General David Petraeus’ counter insurgency strategy appears to have pacified Anbar province. Your latest strategy has proven that “success” in Iraq is possible! All we need to do is repeat the strategy used in Anbar province throughout Baghdad and ultimately in every population center throughout Iraq. Victory in Iraq will be ours!

Therein lies the root of the problem. A real “surge” that will pacify the entire country of Iraq will require at least a million troops. Our all-volunteer military will never be able to make that number. So if you honestly feel the conflict in Iraq will make or break America, it’s time to ask all Americans to sacrifice for the effort. You need to bring back the draft and ramp up the boots on the ground for the real surge. Hey, maybe you can evoke images of the movie “300” in your speeches to motivate the American people for a final “Victory Surge” in defense of democracy.

You have a big problem though. If you do this, you will need to come clean about why we need to complete this vital mission in Iraq. You really have no choice. Because once every American has their skin in the game, they will suddenly become highly engaged in the life or death decisions being made by their leaders in Washington.

Most will get educated on the history of the Middle East and America’s increasing entanglement in this troubled region. They will learn about the long list of dictators we installed and/or supported from the Shah to Saddam Hussein to the current dictators of Saudi Arabia. They will ask why we aren’t fighting for democracy in Zimbabwe or Burma? They will discover or recall that, “oh yeah, the Persian Gulf area contains 2/3 of the remaining oil on the planet.”

Some may dig deep into the cyber archives of Energy Bulletin and find Dick Cheney referring to the Persian Gulf area as “The Prize” in his 1999 speech in front of the Institute of Petroleum. They may discover that Iraq is the most unexplored oil producing country in the Middle East. A few may pick up Mathew Simmon’s book “Twilight in the Dessert” that asserts the Saudi oil bonanza may start to wind down soon leaving us no choice but to find another giant oil spigot in the Middle East to lean on.

Many will recall that 15 Saudi terrorists perpetrated the September 11th attacks and wonder why we haven’t taken any punitive actions against the Saudi government for funding the radical religious schools that continue to spawn hatred for America. They will remember those 28 pages redacted from the first government 9-11 report regarding the role of the Saudi government in 9-11 and wonder why they continue to be hidden.

Americans will start to connect the dots and realize the notion of “energy security” is an oxymoron if most of the world’s energy comes from the most un-secure region in the world. A picture of a once great country refusing to confront its underlying weakness, thereby digging its own grave, will start to coalesce. At some point they will Google their way to the term “Peak Oil” and realize we don’t have to “run out of oil” before we experience the tragic economic consequences of our oil addiction.

They will conclude that making the ultimate sacrifice to defend a dying energy paradigm is not the same as defending their country.

Someday down the road America will conquer its oil demon or “the world’s last great hope” will cease to exist as we know it. Most, especially the younger generation, will be unwilling to give up their lives and futures to extend the cheap oil party a few more years. Do you think the 1960s radicals were unruly? Just wait.

But don’t fret Mr. President. There is one other option. I have an idea that will transform your presidency and your legacy. The beauty of this idea is that you won’t even have to stick your neck out. You will be handing off your dilemma to where it belongs anyway – in the collective lap of the American people. Stay with me. Here it goes:

After General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker give their reports on “The Surge,” announce a joint session before Congress in prime time to address the American people on a new strategy for victory in Iraq. Your speechwriters can insert some drama but here are the 10 main points to make:

1. Give your positive assessment of how “The Surge” has pacified areas of Baghdad.

2. Tell the American people that you have determined we need at least a million troops to make “The Surge” strategy successful in Iraq and we cannot get to those troop levels with an all-volunteer military.
3. Announce to the American people your intention to reinstate the military draft and commence with the final surge to victory in Iraq.
4. Remind the American people that the war Iraq is part of a larger struggle against Radical Islam.
5. Here is your escape route from the current quagmire. Explain to the American people that since Muslim nations own 60% of the oil on the planet, there is another option in this struggle other than perpetual war in the Middle East. Declare war on our oil addiction!
6. This is where you start thinking out of the box. Be honest with the American people about the magnitude of this challenge. We cannot become truly energy independent by relying on the “free market.” This effort will require government intervention in the economy and financial sacrifice from all Americans.
7. Tell the American people that we don’t have the resources to pursue a “Victory in Iraq” and a “War on Oil Addiction” at the same time. We have to choose one path or the other.
8. Since either choice will require sacrifices on the part of all Americans, one person should not make this decision. Announce a special election in January of 2008 – a year from the date when you will leave office – when Americans can choose which path they want to take: Option A – Drafting Americans to complete “The Surge” or Option B – Get out of Iraq and get serious about a “War on Oil Addiction.” You won’t have to remind Americans of their duty to get informed about the facts surrounding this monumental choice. They will do that on their own.
9. Tell the American people you will begin to develop plans for either result of this national referendum. Since everyone has seen what has been going on in Iraq for the last four years, you won’t need to provide any details on Option A.
10. You will need to provide details on Option B.

Some ideas for Option B:

• Since you can’t require publicly traded corporations to take risks they wouldn’t normally take, the taxpayer will have to pick up the tab for most of these ideas. Get every American veteran who has experienced war up close and personal to write a letter to an American who makes more than a million dollars per year. They would be the best to explain the gravity of the situation and the financial sacrifice that will be asked of those who have benefited most from America’s prosperity.
• Mandate that all U.S. automobile companies completely retool to produce plug-in hybrids that will get at least 100 miles per gallon within 2 years. Demand the same level of effort we achieved to retool for WWII.
• Subsidize the trade-in of SUVs for the new plug-in hybrids. Make plug-in hybrids so financially attractive that it’s a no-brainer for every American to buy one. Maybe the government should just buy all big SUVs and sell them to a scrap metal dealer.
• Stop government subsidies of all commercial enterprises that are part of our unsustainable energy regime – big oil and big agribusiness would be a start.
• Slap a big fat tax on all goods imported from the other side of the world to give the advantage to locally produced goods.
• Completely remake our rail system. How about a high-speed commuter train built on top of the interstate highway system? And enough tracks to allow the interstate transportation of goods by train instead of truck. Transition airports to be the major hubs for long distance rail commuters with the goal to eventually replace domestic air travel.
• Subsidize corporate efforts to allow employees to work remotely from home on a pay-for-productivity basis.
• Control oil prices so they increase every year within a 25-cent range. For example, in 2008 the price of gasoline will not go below 3.00 and in 2009 not below 3.25. If it does, the government will tax the difference so prices remain high. This will encourage steadily increasing investment in technologies that conserve liquid fuels for transportation.
• Speaking of taxes, how about a gradual transition away from income taxes and toward consumption and carbon use taxes?
• Heavily subsidize decentralized, alternative energy solutions to beef up our energy grid. Make it profitable for people to put solar panels on their roofs and sell their excess energy back to the electric company.
• Announce to Middle Eastern oil-producing countries that we intend to help them create sustainable economies beyond the oil age only if they engage in democratic reforms. This will marginalize the Radical Islamists who feed on our support for the oil oligarchies of the Middle East.
• Start negotiating energy treaties with major economic powers including China and Russia to plan for a peaceful post-oil age transition.

That’s all the ideas I can think of for now. You can find a lot more by searching through the archives of www.energybulletin.net .

Seriously consider my proposition Mr. President. Let me remind you that if you continue the current course in Iraq, nothing dramatic will change and the American people will get their referendum on Iraq in the 2008 election. A special referendum election will pre-empt the Democrats’ use of the war as a political weapon against your party. If the American people choose to continue “surging” in Iraq at their own expense, the Democrats will have to get behind the effort. If the American people declare war on our oil addiction (you know they will), you and your party capture the high ground in the defining issue of the 21st Century – Energy! This is a win – win for you and the Grand Old Party!

Many Americans are angry because they feel they were misled about your real motives for getting us to war in Iraq. This is your opportunity to come clean, clear the slate and prove how much you believe in the democratic process. You have to trust that if given the real choices confronting the American people, they will choose wisely. If you believe in the divine providence of our democratic republic then you know this to be true.

To be honest, you passed on one opportunity to free us from our energy dilemma in your speech in front of a joint session of Congress on September 20th, 2001. This is another opportunity for bold leadership in a time of crisis. If it works, I guarantee that monuments will be built to honor your courage during the 11th hour of the Peak Oil crisis.

P.S.

If you take a pass on my proposition, one of the 2008 presidential candidates just may read it and decide to consider it. Do you really want to take the chance that Hillary Clinton goes down in history along side of Washington and Lincoln?