would be Dubya's big payoff to Enron--a major speech on "Why I oppose price caps" at the height of Kenny-boy's Enron gouging in California. The only reason the lights did not go out on the "president's" speech is that Los Angeles generates its own municipal power.
This speech should be spread all over the net, while Ken Lay is in the public eye. And during the GOP convention, when Schwartzenegger is a keynote speaker. Ahnold might not have become Governor had this speech of Dubya's been used appropriately by Davis's people.
But even a simple transcript is VERY hard to find. Where it should be available, at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2001/05/ , you will NOT find it. Every piddling photo-op that month is recorded, but the Enron payoff speech is notably missing. I had to go to
http://www.lawac.org and click "Archived transcripts by surname A-H" in the lower left corner of the page.
"Speech before the Los Angeles World Affairs Council on May 29, 2001:
"The Honorable George W. Bush, President of the United States
I'm glad to be here today to talk about our economy and a prosperity agenda for America.... And our prosperity agenda makes a priority of energy security. We can get everything else right, but if our energy supply is unreliable or unaffordable, our economy cannot thrive. For too long, America has neglected energy. The neglect ends now. My administration has developed a comprehensive national energy policy--more than 100 recommendations to promote conservation, expand energy production, improve energy transmission and protect the environment....
Blame shifting is not action, it's a distraction. My administration will continue to work to help California through the difficult months ahead.
All our efforts are guided by a simple test: Will any action increase supply at fair and reasonable prices? Will it decrease demand in equitable ways? Anything that meets that test will alleviate the shortage, and we will move swiftly to adopt it. Anything that fails that test will make the shortage worse. We will not take any action that makes California's problems worse. And that's why I oppose price caps. Price caps do nothing to reduce demand, and they do nothing to increase supply....
At first blush, for those struggling to pay high energy bills, price caps may sound appealing. But their result will ultimately be more serious shortages and, therefore, even higher prices. I want to assure Californians that the federal government takes very seriously our responsibility to make sure that companies are not illegally gouging consumers. I have publicly called on federal agencies to investigate all complaints of illegal gouging, and if those complaints are justified, to take strong and appropriate action. I'm pleased that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has done just that...".