Righwing Noise Machine Skips A Beat

Gasoline price increases are like a hidden tax on the working people. They're like a tax on our farmers. They're like a tax on small businesses. Energy prices are -- energy experts predict gas prices are going to remain high throughout the summer, and that's going to be a continued strain on the American people.

And so the fundamental question is, what are we going to do? What can the government do? (George Bush, today)

Have a look at this snapshot of what many bloggers, and pretty much all the A-listers, are writing about today.

What does it tell you?

It tells me that the usually efficient Republican noise machine skipped a beat today. I don't recall ever seeing a White House press release of a major Bush speech listed at memeorandum that didn't have a couple dozen rightwing bloggers chipping in with how wonderful and statesmanly Bush was and how everything he said was making sense.

But today...*sound of wind and tumbleweed*

And what a speech - repealling tax breaks for oil companies, really bigtime pushing of alternative energy sources (you know, like those filthy-commie-hippy-liberals have been pushing for decades), relaxation of permits to build new refining plants big oil has already said it has no intention of building, relaxation of environmental codes to allow easier integration of more ethanol in fuel, and the obligatory attempt to convince Americans to let oil companies drill for even more oil (which will sell at $70 a barrel) in an unspoilt wilderness.

As you can see from the memeorandum page, the liberal and lefty blogs are all over the speech - but the rightwing blogs are still demanding that "big government" (you know, the one Bush has been in charge of for years now) is to blame for high gas prices, not big oil. Oh, and high gas prices are good for the country anyway!

If the noise machine didn't well and truly foul up today then Bush has just parted company with his cheerleaders in a really amazing way. Somehow I don't think that is the case so....boy, did someone foul up and fail to hand out the talking points!

I'm sure normal service will resume by tomorrow and they will all pretend today didn't happen. Like the cat in the George carlin joke..."F**king meeooowww!"