Arianna:

There is nothing more infuriating than hearing something you passionately believe in — and indeed have been advocating for years — cynically co-opted by someone who clearly doesn’t mean it.

That’s why the smoke started pouring out of my ears Tuesday night when President Bush announced: “America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.” posting

Washington Post: “AMERICA IS addicted to oil.” It was a catchy line in President Bush’s State of the Union speech. But in truth, few administrations have done more to feed America’s oil addiction than this one — and the same can be said for this Republican Congress.

For most of Mr. Bush’s first term, Congress struggled to pass an energy bill. Last year, Mr. Bush signed one into law. Although not as riddled with pork as some previous versions, the law did not change much, either. It provided subsidies for research on some of the alternative technologies the president referred to in his speech, such as clean coal, ethanol, wind, solar and nuclear power. But it also provided billions of dollars in new subsidies for gas and oil, including inducements to drill for more. editorial

Wait, before you go…

If you're reading this, you probably already know that non-profit, independent journalism is under threat worldwide. Independent news sites are overshadowed by larger heavily funded mainstream media that inundate us with hype and noise that barely scratch the surface. We believe that our readers deserve to know the full story. Truthdig writers bravely dig beneath the headlines to give you thought-provoking, investigative reporting and analysis that tells you what’s really happening and who’s rolling up their sleeves to do something about it.

Like you, we believe a well-informed public that doesn’t have blind faith in the status quo can help change the world. Your contribution of as little as $5 monthly or $35 annually will make you a groundbreaking member and lays the foundation of our work.

Support Truthdig