… “immaculate declassification” …

Yes, there are many many people on this blog smarter than me. As a friend says, “my (male appendage) shrivels in humiliation”.

This is the Nicholas Brothers near the end of Stormy Weather.

Christy, you ask

It is worth asking, over and over again, was this power formally delegated to Dick Cheney by George Bush, a sort of abdication of the national security portfolio — a tasking, if you will, to someone else?

My guess is yes, it was delegated because, you know, the chimp would rather ride his bicycle than worry about “stuff”.

Cheney had a clear agenda from the late 1990’s. He laid it out so interested parties would know, but few others. Bush had none.

Here is the Cheney Agenda, in his own carefully chosen words spoken late 1999,edited for length.
….note boldface, underline and my comments in [[ ]].
…mods: it is long but most relevant.

[…] text[[edited for length for FDL]] of Dick Cheney’s speech at the Institute of Petroleum Autumn lunch, 1999[[London]]
Dick Cheney :-

From the standpoint of the oil industry obviously and I’ll talk a little later on about gas, but obviously for over a hundred years we as an industry have had to deal with the pesky problem that once you find oil and pump it out of the ground you’ve got to turn around and find more or go out of business. Producing oil is obviously a self-depleting activity. Every year you’ve got to find and develop reserves equal to your output just to stand still, just to stay even. This is true for companies as well in the broader economic sense as it is for the world. A new merged company like Exxon-Mobil will have to secure over a billion and a half barrels of new oil equivalent reserves every year just to replace existing production. It’s like making one hundred per cent interest discovery in another major field of some five hundred million barrels equivalent every four months or finding two Hibernias a year.

[[UpdateFeb 2007– Of all the giant oil fields producing at least 1 Million bbl/day, now and in the past, only 4 remain in production: Daquing in China 1plus Mbpd; Burgan in Kuwait 2 Mbpd; Cantarell in Mexico 1plus Mbpd; and supergiant Ghawar in SaudiArabia 5plus Mbpd. Ghawar is the ONLY one not admitted to be in declining production rate. Mexico/Cantarell just admitted rapid rapid decline in Feb 2007. Ghawar is reputed to have gone into decline late 2006, but SA has not confirmed. Now how is the shortfall going to be resolved? Hence, the problem of Peak Oil.]]

For the world as a whole, oil companies are expected to keep finding and developing enough oil to offset our 71 million plus[[now abt 84]] barrel a day of oil depletion, but also to meet new demand. By some estimates there will be an average of two per cent annual growth in global oil demand over the years ahead along with conservatively a three per cent natural decline in production from existing reserves. That means by 2010 we will need on the order of an additional fifty million barrels a day. So where is the oil going to come from? Governments and the national oil companies are obviously controlling about ninety per cent of the assets. Oil remains fundamentally a government business. While many regions of the world offer great oil opportunities, the Middle East with two thirds of the world’s oil and the lowest cost, is still where the prize ultimately lies, even though companies are anxious for greater access there, progress continues to be slow. It is true that technology, privatisation and the opening up of a number of countries have created many new opportunities in areas around the world for various oil companies, but looking back to the early 1990’s, expectations were that significant amounts of the world’s new resources would come from such areas as the former Soviet Union and from China. Of course that didn’t turn out quite as expected. Instead it turned out to be deep water successes that yielded the bonanza of the 1990’s.

Concentration and critical mass are clearly keys to success.[…] The result of all this consolidation is that now four out of the five largest oil and gas companies by market value are European.

There are a number of factors which we believe will drive the growing role for gas on a global basis.[…] Another reason natural gas will have a huge role in the next century is that the world’s gas resources are obviously vast.

The Middle East and Africa have over one hundred year’s supply of gas reserves at current low usage levels and the former Soviet Union and Latin America have gas reserve to production ratios which should last over seventy years. Even estimates of proved gas reserves understate the volumes involved, since there is plenty of gas still to be found and many existing discoveries have not been booked, usually due to the difficulty of getting gas to market. As companies find more gas, they need to find ways to monitise the remote fields, developing stranded gas often entails new risk involved in building a new market to use the gas. The three main options for moving this gas to market are pipelines, liquefied natural gas and now gas to liquids.

The world will get more and more connected with gas pipelines in the new century as high strength steel and automated equipment allow pipelines to become economical over long distances.
[…]

Oil is unique in that it is so strategic in nature.[[Understand each word in that statement,then grasp the scope]] We are not talking about soapflakes or leisurewear here. Energy is truly fundamental to the world’s economy. The Gulf War was a reflection of that reality. The degree of government involvement also makes oil a unique commodity. This is true in both the overwhelming control of oil resources by national oil companies and governments as well as in the consuming nations where oil products are heavily taxed and regulated. [..]

It is the basic, fundamental building block of the world’s economy. It is unlike any other commodity. The oil and gas industry provides essential goods at the lowest possible cost with regular reliability while still ensuring a cleaner environment and the industry provides security of supply even though at the same time we are required to manage huge political risk.

What we do isn’t always appreciated by the public and this is part of our industry’s image problem that we need to work on in the next century.

[…] People need to realise that the energy industry often represents the largest foreign investment in many parts of the world and its interests, insights and experience need to be considered.

Oil is the only large industry whose leverage has not been all that effective in the political arena. […] Our constituency is not only oilmen from Louisiana and Texas, but software writers in Massachusetts and specially[[specialty]] steel producers in Pennsylvania.[…] yet not as politically successful or influential as are often smaller industries.

In the last century and up to World War Two coal was king and looks to have a lock as the primary source of energy. It was dethroned by oil, mostly due to transportation fuels, but also because oil was less polluting and easier to handle. Coal is still with us today, but oil is clearly dominant.

[…]Well, the end of the oil era is not here yet, but changes are afoot and the industry must be ready to adapt to the new century and to the transformations that lie ahead. It will mean showing more speed and agility[[as in reach out and grab?]]. As I have outlined today, there are new areas to co-operate in, new risk, new competition, new roles, new integration and a new convergence with power. This will be a challenging environment[…]

You don’t hear our times referred to as the Space Age anymore, instead it’s the Information Age. You will notice they call it the Information Age, not the Knowledge Age. Well, I would conclude today by saying that this industry must be at the forefront of moving into the Knowledge Age. Successful competitors will be those that best manage knowledge. This means technology, expertise, best practices, country, market and competitor intelligence and opportunity assessment.
Thank you.

Editorial Notes
This speech is referred to in Kjell Aleklett’s recent article, Dick Cheney, Peak Oil and the Final Count Down. It shows a deep understanding of the impending energy challenges. It was removed from the original Institute of Petroleum website http://www.petroleum.co.uk/speeches.htm , but we found it using the Wayback machine at http://www.archive.org

I forgot to name my post above “On Sobbing”

ccmask, yesterday I gave him a new name:

Ted Wails

Hope you like it ;)

I don’t think Libby can cover himself with executive privilege, and if he is convicted, he probably cannot use 5th amendment responses, so if he would fail to answer appropriate congressional questions (a clear legislative purpose being the standard) he might be flirting with additional Contempt of Congress charges.

Questions about OVP and the Office of Special Plans are not about the same content as the Plame case — but it is very parallel. Remember Rockefeller has already commented that setting up an intelligence organization without having it chartered by congress is a violation of the 1947 National Security Act. I could see this Congress “setting this up” in such a way that after Jan, 2009, and a new AG in a new DOJ, there might be other indictments brought not only against Libby, but others involved in establishing the Office of Special Plans.

Christy Hardin Smith @ 130

Well, I just had a laugh my ass off all the way from the mailbox moment. The George Bush Presidential Library Foundation sent a beg letter to us for a contribution. HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Ahem.

*snerk* HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHA

Hey, I got one too!

Dear Mr. froggermarch,

President George W. Bush has recently announced plans for a new Presidential Library to house all of his important papers and opinions. To make this dream a reality, we need your help.

The challenge is as great as the man. Historians have estimated that a facility up to the taks of amassing the collected wisdom and positive contributions of our 43rd President will require at least one full cubicle at the UPS Store near the campus of Southerm Methodist University, the alma mater of First Lady Laura Bush.

So please, send whatever you are able. $20 will provide for one full month’s reservation of this important facility. A contribution of $100,000 will both enable us to pay for the Library for a full year and provide for the important graft now being threatened by Congress.

A contribution to this historic effort will ensure your voting rights for years to come.

Thank you,

Senior Administration Official not wanting to be identified because of potential prosecution.

So far, I haven’t received one, but if I do, I intend to shred the letter and return it in the reply envelope, assuming that one is provided.

the anti-thesis @ 160

Hmmm….
Why wouldn’t they ask for those big Post-it Flip chart pads?

That was my first thought but then I figured that those cost a lot more than good old masking tape (federal court & all)

Yup, Walton is loving this jury’s frugality.
Now, hoping they are using their/our time as wisely!