Tom Friedman slams the GOP's "Drill, Drill, Drill" focus.

[bobshenix]

SUURE Tom, why drill our own oil/natural gas when we could use Arab oil as an excuse to keep dominating Middle East. If we used OUR OWN oil, our corrupt government couldn't stick w/ this heavy-handed, aggressive foreign policy.

With no excuse to bomb sovereign Arab nations into submission for *OIL*, we couldn't maintain an expensive, economy-draining constant presence in the Middle East allowing your beloved Israel to keep taking Palestinian land without fear of reprisal from angry neighbors!!

[Ethanol85]

Typewriters lol

[alphecca2539]

BP gave a million dollars in campaign contributions to Barack Obamugabe.

Where is Friedman's commentary on that inconvenient little truth?

[DickColoradoShow]

The russians, venezuelans and saudis are not saying drill drill drill to the united states. They want us to stop so that we become more dependent on them . who is Friedman kidding? Ignorance as usual. we need to drill until we can close the gap between oil and alternative. we have nuclear technology and we are not using it to its full potential. stupidity.

[SilverNBlack510]

"IBM selected typewriters" = Drill drill drill

[dannon2010]

Hello from the sticky Gulf Coast GOP.

[BopjoWebDesign]

"Oil spills are an unfortunate fact of life that we must live with " - SORRY, NOT GOOD ENOUGH. We can do better and you should be on board with that, not just copping out and saying "oh well..." I don't care how many degrees you have or years working in the industry. Taking a "live with it" attitude toward ecological disasters like oil spills is immoral and short-sighted in the extreme. If we can put a man on the moon we can come up with alternative ways to power industry. Support progress.

[juscurious]

@BopjoWebDesign Then don't drive your car. And don't use any petro products. Don't use any petro based lubricants. Our very way of life depends on petro and there is NO alternative to in the short and medium term. We can generate electricity with other sources but try flying an airplane without petro. Try driving a car without it. Most of the available oil is offshore and that's where we will need to go. NO alternative. We couldn't have put a man on moon without petro.

[BopjoWebDesign]

@juscurious The time will come when we won't be able to do any of those things anyway since oil is a finite resource. Your focus is short term. Where is your vision and imagination? Why not join the enthusiasm for the future instead of belittling and demeaning those with passion and invention? If you spent as much energy seeking alternatives as you do defending the status quo then you might be more optimistic and creative. One can't escape the feeling you're defending politics over innovation

[juscurious]

@BopjoWebDesign Because I'm an Elect Engr, I understand the Energy Issue. We need a number of types of energy for our nation. Oil is not used much for Electricity, Only 2%. 70% of Oil is for Transportation. 28% of Oil for Industrial. The future is Nuclear Energy for Electricity. Solar won't work & can't work. The same for Wind. Every solar project needs subsidies. NO SUN at night. What do you do. What alternatives do YOU propose. Give me your plan.

[dullsvillain]

update from Louisiana........Spill baby spill

[tonylee1973]

Im for drilling but we should NATIONALIZE that oil so it goes to the US.

[t8114jg]

He is an idiot. Drill, drill, drill means keep America strong with affordable energy. We do not have the capability of providing viable alternative energy sources at affordable prices yet. Windmills and solar panels are a proven failure in Europe. If all this green technology was so great Europe would be thriving now. They are hurting worse than we are. The American economy can not remain strong without cheap energy. Human activity causing global warming has been dis-proven.

[holymolydude]

You're a colossal idiot. Wind is competitive with coal and America has a wind corridor with the highest quality wind in the largest quantity on the planet. Solar panels have not been proven to be a failure at all. The US has less then 3% of the earths oil and the Alaskan oil is hidden in bedrock, it'd take years to get to it and it'd be a trivial amount compared to what we can buy right now from the east. and it'd be more expensive then just buying more from the middle east. Also, GLOBAL WARMING

[juscurious]

@holymolydude No Wind isn't competitive with coal without huge government subsidies. I work in the energy industry and have 2 EE degrees. You don't know what you are talking about. Solar only works when the sun shines or about 25% of the time on a good day. Solar is tremendously expensive, about $0.50 KWH. Most cannot afford this. Wind only works when the wind blows and at the right speed. Tom Friedman is a technological illerate- plain & simple.

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious That's insane. Right now, wind isn't competitive because of the scale of economy. Give it time. Oh, and how's that offshore oil spill workin for ya Sarah?

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl How are you going to power an automobile with wind? How are you going to power an airplane with wind? How are you going to power a cities electrical demand when the Wind doesn't blow? Are you familiar with what the Danes have done with Wind? Their program is a disaster! The Wind Turbines are falling apart and the maintenance costs are killing. They have the most expensive electricity in Europe.

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious . WOW. Not meaning to insult you (And I mean it), but you have to think further than that. You don't "power" a car with wind. You power a car with electricity that is harnessed from the wind and from the sun. When there is no wind or sun (possible?), you'd revert back to using oil for the short term. If you call less foreign oil a disaster, you must be Iranian because that is the only one (besides Exxon and BP) who would suffer!

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl Oil spills are an unfortunate fact of life that we must live with. During WW2 ships were sunk all over the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts by U-Boats. Oil washed ashore all the time. Wind isn't competitive because you don't get much power from it and it is maintenance intensive. How are you going to power an airplane with wind or solar? How are you going to power a car with wind or solar?

[juscurious]

Tom Friedman has no scientific or technological training whatsoever. He knows nothing about energy or energy policy. I don't know why he continues to put on TV shows as some sort of an expert on science, technology or energy. He's a total fraud. This guy is a dumb as a box of rocks.

[hamsterpoop]

Friedman is simply a popularizer of concepts and ideas. People who know about the economics and production of energy resources don't watch these interviews to find out what's going on. Friedman is good at using appropriate analogies to describe a complicated idea to a non-expert audience. He's good at what he does as long as you realize what that is.

[FairtaxFraud]

@juscurious are you fucking retarded -- really, are you retarded? Why don't you list your "scientific training". And guess what - putting a vibrator up your ass, and holding your mom's hand, doesn't count as a science experiment. Friedman is the best guy on the national stage talking about this. Got that dumb fuck?

[juscurious]

@FairtaxFraud You've demonstrated nothing but the use of insults. I repeat: TF has no scientific or technical training and his comments that we are going to solve our environmental & energy problems with people tinkering in garages is beyond stupid. TF is a hypocrite in the extreme. He lives in a 20,000 sq ft palacial estate and lectures others. I repeat he's as dumb as a box of rocks.

[FairtaxFraud]

Just curious dumb fuck -- TF is one of the best minds and writers today, idiot. You have NO FUCKING clue what his proposal are, you retard. You think his solution is to "tinker in the garage" you fucking idiot? No dumb fuck - his solution is to conserve, use what we have wisely, and push renewables, WHILE we continue researching more ways.

Got that you fucking retard? Now - whats your solution? Pulling your pudding?

[DaveDeShrubber]

Let us hope that Tom Friedman gets the electro-shock therapy that he needs.

[dallasmsl]

Why? Why do you hate tom Friedman? What part of what he is saying doesn't make sense to you?

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl I don't hate TF, I despise him. The reason is that he is both ignorant and influentual. He has the NY Times as a soapbox. He has no technological or scientific training at all. I doubt TF has ever changed a set of spark plug in his life. He's a huge hypocrite who lives in a palacial estate and flys in Gulfstreams. He doesn't know what he's talking about and he's a dumb as a box of rocks. Is that enough for you?

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious . Well, you've given me some insight on to TF's lifestyle but I shouldn't take your word for it so I'll do some research (as I'm sure you would encourage). Thanks for the information.

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious . Thanks for the lies, juscurious. TF graduated from Oxford. Yeah, he came from a rich family but last I heard that isn't a crime. He's also won THREE Pulitzer prizes which, in my book, makes him a hell of a lot smarter than you. He uses the NY Times as a soapbox - isn't that what it is for? I don't know how you can say he's ignorant. But, of course, you probably think Rush and Beck are brainiacs (neither of them finished college).

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl Yes he graduated with an degree in Middle Eastern Studies. He also studied literature. So I stand my my statements. I know far more than TF because I have 2 EE degrees from top notch Univ. I've also worked in the energy industry for over 25 years. Pulitzer prizes mean nothing in this context. If you needed brain surgury (a transpant perhaps?) would you go to someone with a Pulitizer Prize?

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious Congratulations on your two EE degrees. I'm very impressed (no sarcasm implied). But for someone who works in the industry as you say you do and to be so negative and unpromising on what your own intelligence and the intelligence of others like you can provide is amazing. You're the pessimist and I'm the optimist. You know how things can't happen while others look around for an answer. If you aren't part of the solution, get out of the way so others can find it.

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl I'm am a pessimist of sorts. I'm not pessimistic about the technological possibilities of solving our energy problems, I pessimistic about the political aspects. We have the technical know how to solve our problems, but when we have a buffoon like Tom Brokaw interviewing another buffoon like TF, that's when I become pessimistic. What we need to build Nuclear Power Plants, Use coal to liquid technology for transportation fuels. Sorry but YT limits to 500 words.

[dallasmsl]

@juscurious You call them "buffoons" but all I've seen from you is arrogance and name calling. I'm not impressed with that. I'm more impressed by TF's suggestions and proposals. Nuclear power and coal are both steps backwards as far as I'm concerned.

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl They (TF & TB) haven't done their homework. They don't know the subject. That's why I call them buffoons. The solution to our problems is simple: Nuclear Energy for generating Baseline Electricity. It's the cheapest & safest technology. Coal for Peaker Plants. Nat Gas for Peaker & Industrial. Nat Gas & Coal gassification for liq fuel. Drill for oil wherever possible. Continue with Fuel Efficiency Programs. Solar & Wind are waste of time unless they can survive without gov subsidies.

[PraetorianMan]

@juscurious What you listed were all energy alternatives, not renewable sources of energy. It doesn't actually address the main problem at hand. Nuclear energy is extremely dangerous. The plant itself is reasonably safe but uranium mining and processing has already led to serious issues. There's also an issue with what to do with radioactive waste. Natural Gas and Coal are no better than oil. Nuclear Fusion will be our ONLY way out or everything will turn to shit.

[juscurious]

@PraetorianMan Every form of Energy Production has it's risks. Look at the number of people killed in coal mining. We see people killed all the time in Energy Industries. We have LNG which is very dangerous. Nuclear Energy is the safest and cleanest way of producting electricity. It has the best safety record. Uranium Mining is no more unsafe than coal mining. There is NO alternative to oil. We must put this accident behind us and continue to explore for more oil.

[juscurious]

@dallasmsl That's because I'm at my wits end with stupid and ignorant people. Solar and Wind are only suitable for generating electricity. We only get 2% of our electricity from oil and most of that is for portable sources. Solar and Wind do next to nothing for Transportation and Chemical Industry. I work in the industry (energy-not oil) and to me Thomas Friedman is a buffoon.

[GorterPoss]

@juscurious Finding alternative energies has only become a priority in the last few years. Fossil fuels were simply too abundant and cheap for anyone to risk investing their money in an alternative energy technology. I think now that various industries have started the process of investing in new technology, we'll eventually see results.

[GorterPoss]

@juscurious Finding alternative energies has only become a priority in the last few years. Fossil fuels were simply too abundant and cheap for anyone to risk investing their money in an alternative energy technology. I think now that various industries have started the process of investing in new technology, we'll eventually see results.

[GorterPoss]

@juscurious Finding alternative energies has only become a priority in the last few years. Fossil fuels were simply too abundant and cheap for anyone to risk investing their money in an alternative energy technology.

[juscurious]

@GorterPoss Define Alternative Energy. What type of energy does it have to be to be declared "alternative" ? Fossil Fuels will be around for a very long time because there is no alternative to them. What fuels do you propose for a Jet Airliner? Do you think you could power a 747 with a sail? How about solar? Do you put solar panels on a aircraft or a ship? Give me some examples of alternative energies you know of? I'm very curious.

[GorterPoss]

@juscurious Second and third generation biofuels spring to mind. Now they're talking about bioengineered bacteria that generates liquid hydrocarbons. These technologies are all in their infancy but I believe this is in large part because there has never been a pressing need for them until very recently. For example, why would anyone in their right mind invest billions in creating an alternative to gasoline when, even at $100 a barrel, it is still pretty affordable?

[jimbad05]

@GorterPoss Umm, we have been researching solar and wind power since the 1970s and electric cars since at least 1902.

[burlearth]

@dallasmsl because he keeps changing his mind on who he likes, especially after they fall out of favour. He's a flip-flopper and `i'm still waiting for this energy revolution he talks about. He presents no evidence that it exists in any practical sense.

[garyowen4ever]

friedman is a sheiskopf und schweinhundt.

[jaredf921]

friedman's such a smart man.

[creatingbliss]

friedman's a dbag

[cindywren]

The Republicans will continue to take this country backwards.

[creatingbliss]

Tom Friedman is Al Gore's whore. How soon after journalism school did you sell your soul to the media elite? What a pussy.

[Umberto2]

better than being big oil's whore

[creatingbliss]

no, what would be better is if he disclosed he was blowing al gore. that would be honest. and dumberto, who are you saying is big oil's whore?

[Umberto2]

Everyone who says "drill here;drill now" is really only shilling for Big Oil - I assume you are one of them, like every other retard in this country who is taking our country down the toilet with them.

[creatingbliss]

Dumberto, when you 'assume'..well, you know. I never said DHDN but what is wrong in general with drilling for oil here? Also quite frequently when someone uses 'Everyone'..., that indicates a fallacy.

[Umberto2]

Creative nickname for me, thanks. Yes,I made some generalities and asssumptions; I apologize. The thing that's wrong with drilling in North America is that we are already drilling and there have been thousands of acres of new leases just during the past 6 years, yet we have seen no decrease in prices. We do need some domestic drilling, but the current warcry for more leases is nothing but a land and power grab by Big Oil so that they can control the remaining petroleum deposits on the continent

[JohnRussell2008]

The Exxon/GOP position is to secure as much control over "potential" supply as possible before Bush leaves office. If you control the supply of a commodity , you control what? PRICE! Check youtube videos, your ride will go on fuel other than gas! But that would ruin the 100 year old business model of the oil industry.

[KaiserSuSE]

Typical slanted title, hearing only what you want to hear -- and what you want the viewers to hear. Friedman admits both parties have led us down this "dead end alley." He also says he is in favor of drilling, and using our own nation's resources, just not to the exclusion of everything else. Which actually happens to be the GOP position: do everything, including drilling.

So, it looks like Friedman agrees with the GOP.

Go figure.

[Stevietheman]

No, the GOP position is open up more areas for drilling that the domestic oil companies won't touch, as they're not touching the vast open areas they have now, ALL for political reasons. And at the same time, the GOP gives short shrift to alternative energy research.

The Democrats are far smarter on this topic.

[juscurious]

@Stevietheman Your statements are beyond stupid. Alternative Energy doesn't nothing for transportation and that's where 70% of the oil is used. You think you can power a airplane with solar or wind? Are you that far gone? Solar & Wind combined will only supply us with 1-3% of the energy we require. There's no energy when the sun doesn't shine of when the wind doesn't blow. The Dems are technological idiots as is TF.

[LouisvilleHI]

@juscurious I don't think you know who you are replying to, as I didn't say what you are alleging.

[Umberto2]

You can't say that you are in favor of "do everything" when you don't put government mandates and give tax credits for alternatives while giving tax breaks and handouts to Big Oil. The Republicans only say they are for "everything," but will actually do nothing to spur it's viability in the marketplace. Sorry, but government has to be involved for these kinds of revolutions to occur. Southwest Airlines didn't take us to the Moon; NASA did.

[mustanghockey10]

I think you miss the big point that increased American drilling might be a sufficient auxiliary source for a short time, but we have to move our energy use to something completely different, or we're going to be the slave of world oil prices. I'd be in favor of nuclear power...and transforming our cities into much smaller urban centers which allowed for several methods of transportation.

[sneller1985]

takes at least 10 years for any new oil to be utilized from ground to car. not exactly short term pal.

[cros9rx]

Along with changing our energy policies, we should allow look at changing our transportation habits and, as you said, the manner in which we settle our cities. Personally, I would like to see an increased use of trains and trolleys (a San Franciscation of America in a way) and - as people migrate to large cities - construction of large structures that will allow thousands of people to live in a very confined area. Russia is currently working on such a structure in Moscow. It's worth following.