Get out the waders

It's about to get a little deeper:

White House officials tell NEWSWEEK that Bush will become increasingly vocal in public about fuel costs, seizing on the public concern to push ahead with his long-stalled energy bill, as well as delivering speeches on energy issues, including new technologies such as hydrogen fuel cells and cleaner coal. "If the Congress had acted three years ago, some of the policies we put forward could have had an impact today," says one senior Bush aide. The Department of Energy predicted last week that gas prices will reach a peak monthly average of $2.35 per gallon in May, around the time the legislative battles should be in full swing. "With the price of gasoline where it is, that ought to be enough this time to cause people to get moving on the bill," Bush told reporters on Air Force One as he returned from Rome last week.

But, the NRDC:

Our review shows that the Bush energy policy is fundamentally flawed. The Bush plan would provide no short-term relief for Americans struggling to pay their gasoline and electric bills this summer. And, over the long-term, it would increase pollution, despoil the environment, threaten public health and accelerate global warming. Moreover, it would have no impact on energy prices, and no practical effect on U.S. dependence on foreign sources of oil. Who would benefit? The oil, coal and nuclear industries that shoveled millions of dollars into Bush campaign coffers.

And a recent John Kerry speech reminds us:

President Bush's Own Energy Information Administration Found the Bush Energy Plan Wouldn't Impact Prices. Bush's own Energy Information Administration found that the effect of the proposal would be "negligible" with respect to production, consumption, imports, and energy prices.

I guess it should come as no surprise that the President is willing to mislead America once again to benefit his big oil friends.