High Gas Prices, the 2012 Race and Ted's Brothel

Dear Mark: The price of gas is going through the roof again. The Middle East is a tinderbox that could drive gas prices further into orbit.

Candidate Obama had a field day bashing George W. Bush and his energy policies, yet today President Obama has done nothing to curtail the exorbitant increases. This seems like the perfect time for drill here, drill now. What is the president waiting for? — Not Driving Miss Daisy in Denton

Dear Not Driving: President Obama is probably huddling in the White House basement with the environmental extremist wing of the Democrat Party, hoping the Middle East crisis will finally drive a stake in the heart of America's need for fossil fuels.

The administration's response to pump shock was basically no response, as White House spokesperson Jay Carney said the world community had the "capacity to act" in case of a major disruption in the oil coming from Libya. The trouble is that with our fragile economy, the wallets of most Americans don't have the capacity to handle any further outflow of cash. The violence in Libya should be reason enough for Obama unilaterally to act boldly.

If the president is not going to take this threat seriously, then it is time for House Republicans to force his hand by passing "drill here, drill now" legislation that opens up most of the United States to drilling. Obama and his fellow Democrats can then explain why they are allowing citizens to get robbed at their local 7-Elevens.

Solar energy and wind power might, and I emphasize might, be the energy of the future, but they have not developed fast enough to replace the fossil fuels that drive our economic engine today.

Domestic drilling would ease many of our country's woes by creating jobs and raising government revenue through energy taxes and permits. It would also lessen our dependence on oil from countries that hate America. Drilling domestically would also take money away from crackpot dictators like Moammar Gadhafi who cause so many problems in the world.

Dear Mark: Newt Gingrich is no longer a Fox News contributor because he is set to announce the launch of a 2012 presidential exploratory committee. I am sick of hearing about 2012 already, and no bumper stickers have even been printed yet. Why are all the Republicans trying to start the 2012 presidential race so early? — Sick Doc in Texas

Dear Doc: The ugly reality is that Barack Obama might have a $1 billion war chest to work with during his re-election. The sooner candidates can get their organizations running, the better they can compete with Obama's Chicago machine. The downside is that the media have more time to tear apart any of the "Anointed One's" challengers.

Dear Mark: Recently released FBI files showed that Ted Kennedy rented an entire brothel in Santiago, Chile, for a night back in 1961. Please tell me again why the left holds this man in such high regard. — Too Much Info in Reno

Dear Info: The simple answer lies within his last name, "Kennedy," and all the politically royal trappings that come with it. Let's cut the guy some slack because according to that same FBI report, the young Boston assistant district attorney was on a fact-finding trip. I'm sure visiting Chile had a lot to do with prosecuting criminals in Bean Town.

Charlie Sheen has reportedly contacted the White House about conducting one of these missions for the good of the country.

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