Outrageous? Tragedy? Cry me a river Jeffy B!

Senator Water Carrier? Senator Southern Company? Where to begin with Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III? Charles Dean of the B'ham News reports U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions wants Arctic National Wildlife Refuge open for oil drilling: No new nuclear plants `unbelievable' and it is rich with material. I appreciate Mr. Dean providing a little context and sharing some alternatives to this politicking.

Speaking before "a joint gathering of the Gardendale Area Rotary Club and the Gardendale Chamber of Commerce at the city's civic center", Jeffy B plays the victim.

Sessions called it "unbelievable" that the nation has not built a nuclear power plant in 30 years and a "tragedy" that the country has not drilled for oil in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

JBS III, a member of the Senate's Energy and Natural Resources Committee, surely knows better on nuclear power. The fact is that our providing massive subsidies to Big Energy is the only reason we are on the verge of a "nuclear renaissance". The GOP, and Corporatist Democrats to a lesser extent, talk up "the market" and dismiss "welfare" and yet once again show they don't walk the talk if and when the Big Mules need a little help. Let's also not forget that all the gov't money could be spent on clean energy research and the like. Surely Jeffy B knows how cheap energy conservation programs are compared to building new nuclear power plants?

I doubt our junior Senator follows the work of the Center for American Progress but they recently unveiled 10 Reasons Not to Invest in Nuclear Energy. Likewise, I figure he's hardly a fan of the Natural Resource Defense Council yet their The Future Role of Nuclear Power in the United States is a well written and clear summary of the issues facing our nation. Then again, we all know who he's really working for.

JBS III also shared the talking points on ANWR.

"The ANWR region of Alaska is so remote, and it's as big as the state of South Carolina ... and the region they want to drill is just in 2,000 acres, just a small speck on the map, and it has millions and millions of barrels of oil and it would keep American wealth here and American jobs here," Sessions told the lunchtime crowd.

I covered many of the ANWR lies recently with API's Gary Palmer demonstrates the blame game and Mike Rogers ~ "We are all environmentalists ..." so I'll merely address one I perhaps left off. The alleged 2000 acre "footprint" he cites leaves off infrastructure, housing, transportation, etc.

As for Russia and Georgia, JBS III shared:

"Putin and his team has been just drifting to the dark side, and I just wish it wasn't so," Sessions said, referring to former Russian President and current Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

Sessions said President Bush has done all he could to try to work with Putin to assure Russia would develop in a "good way" but that Russia's attack on Georgia is part of a pattern of threats and intimidation increasingly used by the Kremlin to get its way.

Dubyah looked into Putin's soul way back when and SOS Condi Rice, who let's not forget had a Chevron oil tanker named after her when she served on their Board of Directors, is allegedly an expert on Russia yet she's going down as one of the worst we've ever had in that position. Heck of a job Condi?

No mention was made of his election and I do fear he thinks he can coast. His claim that Bu$h has "done all he could" reveals much. JBS III protected Alberto Gonzales and has recently been caught once again covering for Bu$hCo as to the Presidential Records Act. What a gem we have in Jeffy. He and his party, let's not forget the Cheney Energy Task Force, have pretty much had power for decades and yet he want to play the poor pitiful me part. Unbelievable. John Gunn

UPDATE ~ The LA Times' Maura Reynolds files Russia's aim in Georgia battle was strategic: U.S. experts say Moscow's goal in the Georgia battle has been to lay claim to a sphere of influence on Russia's periphery which might help Jeffy B understand this complex region a little better. Then again, a cut-and-paste foreign policy might suit JBS III.