BUSH GETS BUPKIS FROM THE SAUDIS in terms of increased production.

I'm not surprised. I'm actually not sure they can increase their production all that much at the moment, as I suspect they've been overstating their capacity all along. Also, alas, they seem to have caught on to the Malcolm S. Forbes plan. Guess I shouldn't have blogged it . . . .:

One clue comes from the March bulletin of OAPEC, the Arab sub-group of the OPEC producers' cartel. It notes sourly that President Bush is aiming to reduce US dependency on oil imports "particularly from the Middle East”, by 75pc by the year 2025.

"This has created some ambiguity in the US position on the future of oil consumption," it said. Touchee.

King Abdullah's retort to the Bush speech was to announce that Saudi Arabia would stop developing big projects after the Khurais field comes on stream in next year with 1.2m bpd, leaving the country's oil in the ground for future generations.

Were America the imperial power that its critics claim, of course, we'd have simply seized the oil after 9/11 -- it would have been easier than invading Iraq -- killed a bunch of Saudis and gone our way. Instead, however, we probably won't do much. If we were as serious as we say we are about energy, we'd start developing domestic sources. But we can't even get shale oil past Congress.

TOM MAGUIRE ON worthy disaster-relief efforts.

UNLIKE SOME OTHER SEARCH ENGINES: A nice thank-you to the troops at Dogpile.com.

SHATNER ON SHATNER: On, uhh, Shatner.

UPDATE: Bill Quick: "Since I know Shatner fairly well, and I’ve spent a fair amount of time with him, I can tell you that this is pretty much the way he really is. He’s not putting anything on here."

ADVICE TO OBAMA FROM ANN ALTHOUSE, who voted for him:

Don't lie! I mean, I know you've been having an unimaginably powerful experience with millions of people buying the things you say, but don't get cocky. We do still have our lie detectors, and we can reactivate them if we get in the mood to. Don't push us. Keep the magic alive.

To perform at such a level requires more self-knowledge and self-discipline than most politicians possess.

STICKING WITH THE NARRATIVE at The Washington Post.

SEBASTIAN LIVEBLOGGED MCCAIN'S NRA SPEECH: "The theme seems to be 'I suck a little, but my opponents suck more.'"

Now there's a winning formula!

UPDATE: Checking my email, I got a copy of the speech, which is pasted below -- hit "read more" to read it. But McCain doesn't seem to support a ban on private sales, just an extension of instant background checks to gun shows.:

Over the years, I haven't agreed with the NRA on every issue. I have supported efforts to have NICS background checks apply to gun sales at gun shows. I recognize that gun shows are enjoyed by millions of law-abiding Americans. I do not support efforts by those who seek to regulate them out of existence. But I believe an accurate, fair and instant background check at guns shows is a reasonable requirement. I also oppose efforts to require federal regulation of all private sales such as the transfer between a father and son or husband and wife. I supported campaign finance reform because I strongly believed our system of financing campaigns was influencing elected officials to put the interests of "soft money" donors ahead of the public interest. It is neither my purpose nor the purpose of the legislation to prevent gun owners or any other group of citizens from making their voices heard in the legislative process.

Whole text below.

WELL, OKAY, BUT DID RON PAUL EVER CLAIM to be a "compassionate conservative?" Though admittedly, congratulating the University of Kansas' football team isn't within Congress's enumerated powers either . . . .

GIGAPIXEL PHOTOS: Coming soon to a camera near you. They've actually been around for a while, but this makes it easier.

DOG BITES MAN: Charges of double standards at Human Rights Watch.

INTEGRATING NANOTECHNOLOGY with silicon wafer technology.

MAKING YOUR KITCHEN Plastic-free.

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