John McCain and the Republicans want to expand drilling in the US, while at the same time the oil companies are exporting more gasoline and diesel fuel overseas.
Per Reuters:
A record 1.6 million barrels a day in U.S. refined petroleum products were exported during the first four months of this year, up 33 percent from 1.2 million barrels a day over the same period in 2007. Shipments this February topped 1.8 million barrels a day for the first time during any month, according to final numbers from the Energy Department.
The oil companies don't care that we're suffering with high gas prices, they're making more money shipping fuel overseas. So why give them tax incentives and leasing rights just so they can reap more profits?
And what does President Bush say about possibly requiring oil companies to sell their product here at home?
The White House said it was against requiring U.S. oil products to stay at home.
"Forbidding exports of U.S. petroleum reduces the incentive for domestic suppliers to produce, and could potentially lead to higher prices if U.S. production or refining declined," said White House spokesman Scott Stanzel.
This is a canard, as current refining capacity is at 85%.
Once again, we see that Republicans don't care about us, they're all for protecting big oil. At our expense.