Bush in 2000: I'll bring down gas prices through 'sheer force of personality' May 2008: Saudi Arabias leaders made clear Friday they see no reason to increase oil production until customers demand it, apparently rebuffing President [sic] Bush amid soaring U.S. gasoline prices. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal thinks Bush 'was satisfied.' --Compiled by Lori Price The 2000 Campaign: The Texas Governor; Bush Would Use Power of Persuasion to Raise Oil Supply

The New York Times

By Katharine Q. Seeyle

28 June 2000 Gov. George W. Bush of Texas said today that if he was president, he would bring down gasoline prices through sheer force of personality, by creating enough political good will with oil-producing nations that they would increase their supply of crude. ''I would work with our friends in OPEC to convince them to open up the spigot, to increase the supply,'' Mr. Bush, the presumptive Republican candidate for president, told reporters here today. ''Use the capital that my administration will earn, with the Kuwaitis or the Saudis, and convince them to open up the spigot.'' Implicit in his comments was a criticism of the Clinton administration as failing to take advantage of the good will that the United States built with Kuwait and Saudi Arabia during the Persian Gulf war in 1991. Also implicit was that as the son of the president who built the coalition that drove the Iraqis out of Kuwait, Mr. Bush would be able to establish ties on a personal level that would persuade oil-producing nations that they owed the United States something in return. ''Ours is a nation that helped Kuwait and the Saudis, and you'd think we'd have the capital necessary to convince them to increase the crude supplies,'' he said. Asked why the Clinton administration had not been able to use the power of personal persuasion, Mr. Bush said: ''The fundamental question is, 'Will I be a successful president when it comes to foreign policy?' '' He went on to suggest, as he did in answer to other questions, that voters should simply trust him . ''I will be,'' he said in answer to his own question about whether he would be a successful president. ''But until I'm the president, it's going to be hard for me to verify that I think I'll be more effective.'' <snip> ***** Saudi Arabia rebuffs Bush on oil production -- White House: Riyadh says it's already meeting customers' demands

The Associated Press

Updated 1:53 p.m. ET, Fri., May. 16, 2008 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Saudi Arabias leaders made clear Friday they see no reason to increase oil production until customers demand it, apparently rebuffing President [sic] Bush amid soaring U.S. gasoline prices. It was Bushs second personal appeal this year to King Abdullah, head of the monarchy that rules this desert kingdom that is a longtime prime U.S. ally and home to the worlds largest oil reserves. But Saudi officials stuck to their position that they will only pump more oil into the system when asked to by buyers, something they say is not happening now, the presidents national security adviser told reporters. Saudi Arabia does not have customers that are making requests for oil that they are not able to satisfy, Stephen Hadley said on a day when oil prices topped $127 a barrel, continuing to set records. What the Saudis wanted to tell us was were doing everything we can do ... to meet this problem, but its a complicated problem..." Minister thinks Bush 'was satisfied'

...Hadley suggested the White House was satisfied with -- or at least accepted -- the Saudi response. He added, however, the Bush administration will see if the explanation conforms to what our experts say. Saudi Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said the discussion with Bush about oil was friendly. He didnt punch any tables or shout at anybody, the minister said. I think he was satisfied. ... When Bush and Abdullah met in the kingdom in mid-January, the president also sought more Saudi output in a plea that also ultimately was for naught. ***** Saudi oil output hike would not solve US problems: Bush

17 May 2008 SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (AFP) -- US President [sic] George W. Bush said on Saturday that a hike in oil output by Saudi Arabia would not solve American energy problems. "It's not enough, it's something but it doesn't solve our problem," Bush told reporters in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. "Our problem in America gets solved when we aggressively go for domestic exploration. Our problem in America gets solved if we expand our refining capacity, promote nuclear energy and continue our strategy for the advancing of alternative energies as well as conservation," he said. <snip> Compiled by Lori Price, Editor of Citizens for Legitimate Government, www.legitgov.org. Email this page to a friend. Permanent URL for this page: http://www.legitgov.org/bush_oil_prices_2000_250508.html CLG Index