If I’ve learned anything from watching the Bush administration, it’s that President Bush’s ability to plan ahead is probably limited to deciding what he’ll have for lunch. If we need reminding, let’s think back to the now infamous “Mission Accomplished” speech in 2003. I sure am glad that major combat operations have ended in Iraq, I mean it’s not like this is the bloodiest month since last September. Well, at least we found those biological and chemical weapons . oh, wait.

But this column isn’t about Bush’s mistakes in the past; rather, it’s about preventing him from making more mistakes before we can send him packing from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Bush’s most recent speech before Congress was an exercise in deceit and rhetoric concerning U.S. energy policy and the still-climbing prices at the pump. Meanwhile, Big Oil raked in another quarter of record profits, with BP and Shell taking in nearly a $1 billion more than the experts forecasted, while BP did not increase year-on production and Shell increased it by a measly 1 percent.

And while I can already hear the howls from those faithful to the GOP (Greed, Oil and Power), just contemplate this little nugget: Jeff Rubin, an analyst at CIBC World Markets, has said that oil prices might reach $200 a barrel by 2012, which would equal close to $7 per gallon – meaning that it would cost you $224 to fill up your H2, but your kids didn’t really need to go college anyway.

In his speech, Bush again called for drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, 18 million acres of untouched land including 1.5 million acres of coastline. This coastal area, known to Big Oil as 1002, has been survived repeated underhanded attempts by Big Oil special interests to allow drilling, including a 2005 attempt which amended legislation to an annual defense appropriations bill that was defeated through filibustering.

Despite Bush’s repeated insistence that the solution to our energy woes lies under the pristine coastline of ANWR, energy experts point out that the most generous estimates of oil in ANWR are only 10.4 billion barrels. While this might seem like a tremendous amount when compared to the 20 million barrels we use per day, the entirety of ANWR would be used up in less than a year and a half.

Never mind the fact that getting the oil out of ANWR would take years to set up and would therefore do nothing to relieve our current oil woes. Drilling in ANWR is not a solution to our problems and would only result in destroying the last virgin coastline in Alaska, a price which is far too high. And, God forbid, even if we do drill up ANWR, we could expect to see a price cut of perhaps a penny a gallon.

Of course, Bush opposes a House-approved bill that could take away the $13.5 billion in tax relief which we provide for Big Oil and instead invest it in renewable energy programs, creating both jobs and alternatives to the black heroin we’re so hooked on as a nation.

We need to be vigilant and insistent. Bush’s mishandling of every other emergency his administration has faced should alert us to this oil/energy crisis – we can expect inaction followed by inept action, followed by scandal.

Grassroots efforts are making great strides in this age of the Internet and wi-fi, where being concerned has been reduced to filling out a few blanks and hitting the send button. Hell, you can send a letter to congressperson voicing your support for permanent protection for ANWR in the time it takes to microwave a bag of popcorn.

We’ve let Bush have the reins to our country for too long, and the mass media has switched from watch dog to lap dog. We’ve endured nearly eight years of poor decision making plagued by a lack of foresight, we need to act before it’s too late. Drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will not solve our problems, it will only hasten the seemingly inevitable encroachment of humans onto the last remaining protected areas for wildlife.

– Quincy Miller is a senior in English from Altoona.