And then, there’s this:

I’d rather have that wealth being generated in this country, wouldn’t you?

In other words, the Oil Barons get tax breaks and subsidies so they can get American oil and sell it overseas. As for the oil leases, there has been an explosion of mineral exploration, including oil in the last few years in the US. But you guys don’t want to buy land and explore, it’s too expensive. You want the government to allow you on to public lands so they can profit on the cheap, just like they did with timber in the national forests.

Do you deny that even if the US were completely and totally energy independent, if there was a major interruption in the supply from the MidEast, Russia, or any of the major producers our prices would be just as high as Europe’s or Japan’s or India’s? All “our” oil would be sold to whover could afford it, and we’d have to match that price or do without.

That’s because it isn’t true.

But you’re still going to believe it for the rest of your life.

But it makes no difference. Even if we discovered a Saudi-sized lake of easily recovered oil right here in CONUS, it would still make no difference. It’s not American oil. It belongs to private corporations who will sell it wherever someone will offer a good price for it.

In other words, even if we were totally oil independent, if trouble broke out in the Persian Gulf the Chinese, Indians, Japanese and Europeans would bid up the price and we would still pay a premium price determined by the world market for oil from Bakke, the Gulf of Mexico, or Texas. Its not American oil, its multinational corporate oil, and they don’t give a damn about America. They would love to see a bidding war, an oil shortqge hurts everybody’s economy, not just the nations with no oil. Only countries who have nationalized their oil companies are guaranteed a secure source of oil.

We are now militarily involved in the MidEast not because we need their oil, but because it keeps global oil prices down. And if we pulled out, the Chinese would have to step in and patrol the Gulf sea lanes (that’s why they’re building aircraft carriers) to protect their sources. I don’t think we want that either.

http://www.people-press.org/2011/03/23/obama-tests-well-at-start-of-reelection-run/

What Romney said:

http://presspass.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/09/08/13750865-romney-clinton-helped-elevate-democratic-convention?lite

Bunch of polling on Bill, the recent favorabililty numbers are all over 60%. Does not split out Republicans, though:

http://www.pollingreport.com/clinton1.htm

There’s a lot more of this stuff out there.