One Track Campaign

From this morning’s White House cabinet meeting (emphasis added):

Q Sir, Senator Kerry has suggested halting shipments to the emergency oil reserves. Your energy bill is a long-term strategy. What are some short-term steps that can be taken?
THE PRESIDENT: If people had acted on my energy bill when I submitted it three years ago, we would be in a much better situation today.
Secondly, we will not play politics with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. That Petroleum Reserve is in place in case of major disruptions of energy supplies to the United States. The idea of emptying the Strategic Petroleum Reserve plays — would put America in a dangerous position in the war on terror. We’re at war. We face a tough and determined enemy on all fronts. And we must not put ourselves in a worse position in this war. And playing politics with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve would do just that.

Newsflash! Did anyone else know we were at war? Maybe President Bush should start emphasizing that. Really. I know Bush’s pollsters tell him he needs to perpetuate the myth of the strong wartime president, but doesn’t common sense place a boundary on this? Must we tie everything to terrorism? What does the war on terrorism have to do with the Strategic Petroleum Reserve?
I know, I know. If we don’t march lockstep with Bush’s agenda it weakens America and the terrorists win. . . .