Nice Try, Sherrod
Friday, July 11th, 2008 By Marc Kilmer
The Dispatch reports:
Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown, who had adamantly opposed [offshore] drilling, is among those warming to the idea. He says any exploration would have to be far from the coast and that the oil produced would be used in the United States, not abroad.
So clearly Senator Brown has no idea how the oil market actually works, does he? After all, it’s not as if U.S. oil is only sold in the U.S., Saudi oil is only sold in Saudi Arabia, Mexican oil is only sold in Mexico, etc. Oil is a global commodity. There is a global market for it. Any attempts to horde oil for sale in only one country would either be completely ineffective or provoke a flurry of harmful counter-measures. As a nation which buys a large share of its oil from overseas, do we really want other nations to refuse to sell their oil to us?
Even Senator Brown’s buddy, Senator Barack Obama, has a basic grasp of the oil market that seemingly eludes Senator Brown. Senator Obama knows oil is sold on a global market. Perhaps these two should get their messaging straight before trying to solicit votes in Ohio on this issue.
Of course, there is another explanation for Senator Brown’s comments. He has always opposed offshore drilling. By attaching the condition that any oil from this drilling must be used domestically, he may be trying to have it both ways. He knows that his condition can never be met, but he wants to appear like he’s in favor of drilling. Both pro-drilling and anti-drilling folks are satisfied.
So is Senator Brown ignorant of the oil market or a shrewd politician?
