President Obama's Keystone XL Pipeline Delay Politics ... The Time for Politics and Needless Delay is Over ... The Time to Act Is Now

Politics sucks. Politicians lie. Government officials too often act in their own political self interests and not in the best interests of those they purportedly serve.

The need for good jobs, energy independence, free enterprise, increased private sector trade, mutually beneficial bilateral actions with our Canadian friends and allies, as well as the safe transport of oil in America (pipeline vs. rail), are obvious to one and all.

So why then do President Obama and his allies insist on stopping the construction of the Keystone XL Pipeline, other than pure partisan politics and a decision to placate their political green support base instead of serving We the People? I can't think of any good reason. Can you?

The Last Keystone Excuse lays out the facts:

"For six years President Obama has used one pretext after another to avoid approving the Keystone XL pipeline. Now the Nebraska Supreme Court has blown up his last excuse, and the President owes it to the country to either say yes or to come clean about his anti-fossil fuel politics.

Nebraska’s top court on Friday upheld a state law giving the Governor authority to review and approve major pipeline projects. The ruling ended litigation brought by a trio of Nebraska landowners who claimed Governor Dave Heineman ’s 2013 approval of the Keystone route through his state was unconstitutional. The litigation was the latest reason the Administration had concocted—raising it in April—for again delaying a Keystone decision.

And we mean only the latest. TransCanada filed with the State Department for a cross-border permit while Mr. Obama was still running for President. Mr. Obama has since subjected the project to two separate State Department reviews, ignoring the positive findings of both. Even as the Nebraska court ruled, the White House on Friday was back with more delay, claiming the State Department now needs to review the court decision and ponder, ponder, ponder.

The only reason Mr. Obama hasn’t given for his opposition is the real one: His environmental supporters oppose the pipeline as a matter of climate-change religious faith. They include influential donors like billionaire Tom Steyer who have turned Keystone into a litmus test of environmental purity.

This week Mr. Obama welcomed the 114th Congress by threatening to veto a bill to approve the pipeline if it passes Congress. The House moved foward anyway on Friday, passing the approval bill 266 to 153, including ayes from 28 Democrats. The Senate will open debate on its bipartisan version next week, and it already has enough support to break a liberal filibuster.

This debate and Mr. Obama’s veto decision are going to be clarifying moments for the Democratic Party. We’ll see if it’s the party of jobs and the working stiff, as Democrats claim, or of rich green donors who put obsessions about possible future climate change above the well-being of Americans in the here and now."

See also Court Ruling, House Vote Pressure Obama to Act on Keystone Pipeline.

Summing Up

After many years of obfuscation and delay, there's nothing more for President Obama to say.

It's time to see just how accurate Jonathan Gruber's view of American stupidity will prove to be.

We already know that Obama is a true believer -- of Gruberism, that is.

And we already know that politics sucks.

That's my take.

Thanks. Bob.