By Rick Manning
Kathleen Sebelius’ unceremonious dumping answered the question of what does it take to get fired in the Obama Administration with an expected answer. You get fired when it is more useful to Obama for you to be a scapegoat than to be protecting secrets on the inside.
Now that we know that answer, the longest lingering question of the Administration is, will they ever allow the Keystone XL pipeline to be built across the US/Canadian border?
The answer is no.
The latest delay on approval came from the Obama State Department putting off the decision until after the November elections, citing litigation over the location of the pipeline in Nebraska.
A quick look at the U.S. map confirms that Nebraska not only does not border Canada, but it doesn’t even border a state that borders Canada. No, Nebraska’s northern border is approximately 500 miles south of Canada.
While it might sound to the perpetually ignorant of the left like the State Department would have something to do with the fifty states which make up our union, in fact it only deals with foreign states. This might explain their geographic confusion over their decision on whether to allow this pipeline to cross the 49th Parallel that divides Canada and the U.S. in that part of the continent. They must think that their mission statement includes pipeline siting a full day’s drive, as the crow flies, south of the border.
Perhaps a U.S. map should be required to be placed in all State Department offices right next to their pictures of Obama, Biden and Kerry. Arrows pointing away from the U.S. borders in all directions with the words – YOUR JURISDICTION – to provide clarification for these geographically impaired geniuses.
Obviously those making this decision know that lawsuits over pipeline routing in Nebraska are irrelevant to their sole task – determine whether or not they are going to allow this pipeline to cross the border.
The decision to delay once again, has nothing to do with the Keystone XL pipeline, and everything to do with Secretary of State Kerry’s self-proclaimed status as world wide eco-warrior. Kerry who has called climate change the world’s most fearsome weapon of mass destruction, and has declared that fighting it is job one at the State Department cannot allow the Keystone XL to be approved and retain his Key Card to the Al Gore environmental playground.
How can the man who wants to lecture the globe on climate change and greenhouse gases avoid being hooted out of the room by the world’s warmist faithful if he approved their bête noire?
The remaining question is why Kerry doesn’t just kill the application in its entirety, at least for the remainder of Obama’s term?
Without the threat of the Keystone XL pipeline approval, how will the Big Green Machine keep its small dollar donor milk flowing? Without this threat of dirty Canadian oil pollution invading our shores, they would have to develop a new boogey man to keep their consultants pockets lubricated.
So, the Keystone XL decision is delayed once again.
At some point in the near future, the Canadian government and the company trying to build the pipeline are going to grow tired of having oil sands kicked in their face and decide to build a pipeline to a port on the Pacific Ocean. At least then, they could ship their oil to the more friendly business environment provided by communist China.
Another question answered about Obama and his Administration, albeit one that wasn’t asked.
The author is vice president of public policy and communications for Americans for Limited Government
