Right-Wing China-Cuba Oil Myth Mutates Into New Form
Here's yet another variation of the GOP-pushed tall tale that China and Cuba are drilling for oil off American shores.
This latest one comes courtesy of GOP Senator John Sununu of New Hampshire, who has trailed Democratic opponent Jeanne Shaheen by wide margins in all the polls, and who by our count is the eighth GOPer to push this silly myth.
Sununu's version: He's dropped the China part from the tale -- now it's the Cubans who are supposedly doing the oil drilling.
Sununu appeared yesterday on the Mark and Danielle show, a conservative talk program based in Dover, New Hampshire, and said the following:
"The Cubans are drilling for oil and gas sixty miles off the coast of Florida, and yet there are people in America that say, 'No, we're not gonna do that, we're not going to explore.'"
This isn't the first time Sununu has spread this story. He told it some three weeks ago, that time including China. But then Dick Cheney retracted the story, and Florida's Republican Senator Mel Martinez took to the Senate floor and thoroughly debunked it.
So now Sununu has simply subtracted China from the story, making Cuba the lone culprit -- but this version isn't true, either.
We've asked his campaign and Senate offices for clarification, but they have not gotten back to us.
What does Sununu think the Cubans used for money to build the oil rigs offshore?
Cuba has no money. We've blockaded them for almost 50 years now. They have exactly shit down there - except for really good free health care.
July 2, 2008 11:02 AM | Reply | Permalink
um, cuba actually has a sh*tload of their own oil, discovered last year, IIRC, but who, oh, who will help them manage their newfound wealth?
http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/energy/article646511.ece
July 2, 2008 11:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
So does Iraq - so what? If you can't extract it, it means very little and Cuba has no way to do it on its own because it has nothing. They desperately poor down there.
July 2, 2008 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
i have a feeling cuba will find a way to extract that oil. our unilateral embargo isn't going to stop anyone else from cashing in.
July 2, 2008 11:20 AM | Reply | Permalink
Yes, but that just feeds this paranoia.
China or Russia might lend Cuba the money, but so far no one has been claiming that - there's just this stupid story and the stupid fear it is meant to spread here.
Here in America where we have too goddamn much of everything -
July 2, 2008 11:24 AM | Reply | Permalink
The embargo has really been a crazy thing. It seems to have hurt American business interests as much as it has hurt the Cubans - which is surprising as business interests tend to trump all other concerns in this country. When the embargo is finally lifted, we'll find that Europe has already snatched up the best economic opportunities of Cuba.
July 2, 2008 11:14 AM | Reply | Permalink
Well yeah - our leaders are masters at cutting off America's nose to spite its face and that's what we did with Cuba.
*sigh*
July 2, 2008 11:18 AM | Reply | Permalink
Right ... they've converted all of their rusty 1957 Chevy DeSotos into deep-sea oil exploration platforms. Crafty commie bastards ...
July 2, 2008 11:09 AM | Reply | Permalink
Speaking of the Caribbean, I haven't heard another thing about Haiti since over a month ago we were told they were starving to death.
Did we send any help? Has anything changed or is every dead down there?
God I hate this government.
July 2, 2008 11:17 AM | Reply | Permalink
I feel the same Tena about this government of upside down priorities.Bush's action policy seems to be guided by how his bones feel at any given time.Profoundly slow in New Orleans but lightning quick to Iraq,then back to super slow in Zimbabwe.God, how quickly can January 20 come!!!
July 2, 2008 11:27 AM | Reply | Permalink
Until an attractive twenty-something girl goes missing there, we're not gonna see that island on the news.
July 2, 2008 11:29 AM | Reply | Permalink
I keep hearing anecdotal reports in the news that journalists feverishly check blogs to get leads on new stories. Really?! So why don't they cover this stuff? It's clear they've gotten their BS talking points on offshore drilling from Grover Norquist, Rove, or whoever.
Makes all their navel gazing of recent years downright nauseating. "Oh, how we wish we would have been harder on the president as he took us to war on bad intelligence." Blech! Cry your fake tears elsewhere.
Sounds like Josh is onto another disturbing trend, just as with the attorney firing scandal, and once again the mainstream press is AWOL.
July 2, 2008 11:26 AM | Reply | Permalink
O come on - how hard could it be to verify this rumor? We have satellites taking pictures of the whole fucking planet and if off-shore rigs had been built by someone other than us they'd fucking show up.
You can't hide an offshore oil rig. This is unbelievably stupid.
July 2, 2008 11:33 AM | Reply | Permalink
You're right! (as usual)
Matt Cooper, if you're reading this, you're needed at Google Earth! ;-)
http://earth.google.com/
July 2, 2008 11:40 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am not not sure anymore Tena, about satellite pictures. After all a certain gentleman named Powell religiously showed "satellite pictures" of Saddam Hussein's mobile machanical regiments lining up to annihilate us.
So no thanks on satellite evidence for now...//snark
July 2, 2008 11:58 AM | Reply | Permalink
First, the Cubans can drill for their own oil and they can legally drill in international waters.
Second, the Republican single minded demand that we open up our coasts for drilling implies that some oil drilling company or groups of oil drilling companies tied to the Republican party really wants to start drilling wells off Miami Beach. They figure they have to start before George leaves office or they will never have the field to themselves again. Any guesses which oil drilling company?
Third, somebody, either the Republican tied oil company or the Republican party, has done some focus group work and discovered that some focus group of Americans was upset about the Cubans drilling oil. Republicans are using the story over and over again because they want to take advantage of the high price of gas and the focus group results.
July 2, 2008 12:03 PM | Reply | Permalink
I agree with all of that, but there are ways to verify this bullshit and no one is talking about that - they are all talking as if this is a fact.
And yes, this government used satellite photos to gin up the war in Iraq, but facilities on the ground are one thing - you can't tell what's going on inside. An offshore oil rig is a different animal - there's nothing else it can be - it sits out there in the sea - nothing else does.
July 2, 2008 12:11 PM | Reply | Permalink
Powell's satellite pics were real. The interpretation of them was bullshit. Let McBush continue to talk offshore drilling and free trade and let's watch the polls in Florida and Ohio.
July 2, 2008 2:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Offshore Drilling Follies (Cont.)
By JIM MCTAGUE
The offshore-drilling battle.
Some background on the "Destin Dome, a geological formation in the Gulf of Mexico about 25 miles from Pensacola, Fla., that purportedly has enough natural gas to supply a million homes for 30 years..."
"We're not dumping on the Democrats alone. Republicans, including the White House's current occupant, his father, and brother Jeb, are equally guilty of obstructing offshore energy production in return for votes..."
Chevron submitted a development plan to the state and the Interior Department for review in 1996... George Bush I in 1990 had placed a temporary moratorium on new drilling off South Florida, fulfilling a campaign promise...in 1995, the Clinton administration came out against new lease sales, and Florida's congressional crew, both Republicans and Democrats, successfully supported another moratorium on new drilling to replace one that had expired..."
Chevron proposed drilling 12 to 21 gas wells.....Bush II met secretly with Florida's governor -- Jeb -- a foe of offshore drilling. They agreed to have the federal government buy back the leases [from Chevon] for $115 million and place a moratorium on drilling at the Dome until 2011. There are now 140 actual leased tracts there that can't be drilled.....
http://online.barrons.com/article/SB121460971892012411.html
Not sure if this is subscription only access or not. Print edition was June 30th dated.
July 2, 2008 12:42 PM | Reply | Permalink
So, basically what these dipshits are saying is that even when we were paying $3/gallon for gas, the GOP controlled congress and administration did nothing to secure American rights to oil fields only 60 miles offshore?
If there's one thing we can say about Republicans, it's that they are consistent. Consistently moronic.
July 2, 2008 12:12 PM | Reply | Permalink
Yep, agree 1000 percent. By the way, I am shocked, shocked I tell you that cuba is drilling off of florida's coast. I mean cuba isn't 90 miles off the coast of key west is it? And we can control what the cubans do in their own territorial waters, right. This is just an outrage. I think we should ban off-shore drilling in cuban waters. Maybe sununu can introduce a ban on cuban drilling in the senate. That would start the ball rolling.
July 2, 2008 12:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
Oops, in reply to ronbeyers. Stupid f'n computer.
July 2, 2008 12:17 PM | Reply | Permalink
Am I the only one who thought it would be really funny if the Cuban government made a deal with Spain, to finance their offshore drilling?
July 2, 2008 1:07 PM | Reply | Permalink
Somebody radio McSame's plane, have them divert to Cuba and bring back pictures of the drilling operation. Johnny boy should know the way, he's flown around Cuba before.
It's a shame that the people who control our eyes-in-the-sky can fine the evidence to "show" us the drilling operations also.
Help, Google Earth, show us the drilling!!
SHOW US THE DRILLING
July 2, 2008 1:13 PM | Reply | Permalink
For starters, Cuba is 70 miles off Florida. I believe 10 miles is the generally accepted range of a country's domestic waters. If this were true at all, this would not be a story, as 60 miles off Florida is 10 miles off Cuba, and therefore in Cuban waters and none of our business. Q.E.D.
Furthermore, Sununu is just like W, daddy was a big-shot conservative, so naturally he gets to be one too. Us folks up in New Hampshire are going to kick him to the curb in November. Jeanne Shaheen was a very popular governor, and only lost to Sununu in 2002 because she ran against him when the Republicans had their shit together and the Dems did not. This year the man is done. Goodbye Johnnyboy, its been miserable
July 2, 2008 2:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
benjoya hussein here's what your article says:
With a new administration or a significant oil find, the U.S. position might change, says Benjamin-Alvarado.
Cuba hasn't found a shitload of oil and there's no guarantee they ever will. If they do chances are it'll be the heavy sour stuff they already have. If you want more I just did a lot of research and posted it here:
http://tpmcafe.talkingpointsmemo.com/talk/blogs/markg8/
July 2, 2008 3:02 PM | Reply | Permalink
Cubans drilling for oil off Cuba? How dare they!
This all sounds like a poly in support of allowing offshore drilling - "If we don't get the [insert enemey, real or imagined] will."
July 2, 2008 4:59 PM | Reply | Permalink