Stephen Harper and the Pipeline Debacle

Oh no. How embarrassing. I see Stephen Harper was doing the hula hula in Hawaii today, trying to get Obama to change his mind about the Keystone XL pipeline. Because he said it was a "no brainer" so now he looks like an IDIOT.

And so does little Jimbo Flaherty. 

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty said Friday that the delay may kill project and could add momentum to efforts to open up the Asian market for Canadian oil.

“It may mean that we may have to move quickly to ensure that we can export our oil to Asia through British Columbia,” Flaherty told Bloomberg.

Oh yeah. I'm sure that will work. BC would LOVE to have hundreds of Exxon tankers bobbing off its fragile coastline. And with all those native treaties...and the Rockies... to negotiate, how long does he think that might take before the window closes?

Gawd. Somebody find a tiny pipeline so we can give little Jimbo an oily enema.

But seriously eh? You'd think the Cons could see the writing on the wall. Or at least deal with reality:

(1) Did they really think that in an election year Obama would turn his back on his powerful friends in the environmental movement, and favour his most powerful right-wing enemies?

(2) Did they think they could get away with claiming that the pipeline had received an honest environmental review?

The State Department assigned an important environmental impact study of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to a company with financial ties to the pipeline operator, flouting the intent of a federal law meant to ensure an impartial environmental analysis of major projects.

(3) How long did they think they could fool Americans into thinking that the project would create 200,000 20,000 jobs?

The Journal says building the pipeline would create 20,000 jobs...But TransCanada's own data supplied to the State Department says 2,500-4,650 jobs would be created.

(4) When they claim that dirty oil is "ethical oil" do they think we're all dummies?

"The whole notion of ethical oil sets up a false dilemma because the very viscous Canadian crude needs to be cut with lighter oils from places like Saudi Arabia in order to be transported down a pipeline, says Chris MacDonald, a visiting scholar for the Clarkson Centre for Business Ethics at the University of Toronto... So what's the point of having ethical oil if you are mixing it with this 'conflict oil'?"

Golly. Good question eh? Now can we call them Saudi Alberta? And does this gorgeous redhead know?

(5) How long did they think they could fool Canadians into thinking that our economy is riding high on a sea of oil? When we're actually drowning in it, because the dirty oil pimps in Alberta are destroying our manufacturing sector.

“Productivity gains are a positive story, but the sadder story is that Canada has been pricing itself out of manufacturing as resource industries’ success drives up our currency...”

And turning people in Eastern Canada into BEGGARS. Hey Mistah... Mistah...  Redneck Bwana...wanna throw me a petrodollar? 

(6) When will the Cons finally understand that dirty oil is REALLY bad for the planet?  

And that slowing down the development of the Tar Sands is good for Alberta, good for Canada, and good for the whole world.

Answer: probably NEVER. Because a pimp, is a pimp, is a pimp.

So how do you think the meeting between Harper and Obama went today?

Golly. I don't know eh?

But probably not well...

Oh boy. The Cons standing tall for Canada Big Oil.

Sounding pathetic.

And looking like FOOLS...