OPEC Faults U.S. As Oil Hits New High

Cartel Blames U.S. Economic "Mismanagement," Not Lack Of Supply, For Pushing Crude Past $104 A Barrel

(CBS/AP)  OPEC on Wednesday accused the U.S. of economic "mismanagement" it said is pushing oil prices to new record highs, rebuffing calls to boost output and laying the blame at the feet of the Bush administration.

Oil prices surged past $104 a barrel for the first time after the OPEC announcement and the release of a U.S. government report showing a surprise drop in crude oil stockpiles.

The 13-nation Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries said it would maintain current production levels because crude supplies are plentiful and demand is expected to weaken in the second quarter.

OPEC President Chakib Khelil told reporters the global market is being affected by what he called "the mismanagement of the U.S. economy," and that America's problems were a key factor in the cartel's decision to hold off on any action.

"If the prices are high, definitely they are not due to a lack of crude. They are due to what's happening in the U.S.," Khelil said. "There is sufficient supply. There's plenty of oil there."

Khelil's comments came one day after President George Bush lashed out at the organization, warning Tuesday: "I think it's a mistake to have your biggest customers' economies slowing down as a result of higher energy prices."

White House spokesman Dana Perino said Wednesday that Mr. Bush was "disappointed" OPEC didn't do more to rein in prices, which some say are pushing the U.S. economy into recession.

Japan and other major industrialized nations have also urged OPEC - which supplies about 40 percent of world demand for crude - to bring more oil on the market to pull down prices.

OPEC, pointing to slackening demand in the second quarter, suggested that it will hold off to see what happens with supply and prices this spring.

"Why do we need to take any new measure if the health of the market that we follow for our policies is sound?" the pan-Arab newspaper Al Hayat quoted Saudi Oil Minister Ali Naimi as saying.

Naimi told reporters in Vienna that his country is pumping roughly 300,000 barrels a day over its quota and is selling every drop "day in, day out" - an upbeat assessment.

Analyst John Hall, of John Hall Associates in London, said OPEC probably should have added oil to the market as Bush had asked.

"But in this time of intense geopolitical tension, it would be difficult for Saudi (Arabia) or any other producer to acquiesce simply because President Bush had asked them to," he said. "In the short term, any true respite for the consumer is still out of reach."

Although OPEC opted not to intervene, it did pledge to maintain "constant vigilance" over the market.

Khelil said he and OPEC's secretary-general were authorized to call an extraordinary meeting or hold phone consultations "at any time, depending on the pressures on the market" - an apparent gesture to ease global economic jitters.

There had been some speculation that OPEC might actually cut production - a move that would drive prices even higher, along with profits for cartel members - but Khelil said a cut was not discussed at Wednesday's meeting. He said OPEC had no plans to meet again before its next scheduled conference in September.

Earlier in the week, price hawks Venezuela and Iran had indicated they planned to push for less production.

Khelil said crude stocks were well within their five-year average and the 13-nation group was not inclined to either boost or reduce its current output of about 32 million barrels a day.

[sjc_1]

Bush has added a "risk premium" with the invasion and destabilization of Iraq. That might have been the plan all along. It was said that OPEC was the best thing to happen to U.S. oil companies. They benefit from the price rises and can blame it on someone else.

[mom_o_truth]

Our DOLLAR is the KEY to the spiraling GAS prices in addition to the decreasing number of available refineries with increasing demand for SUVs. Recall the OIL-CRISIS of the 70s and the success of Japanese cars. Will China solve the equation this time ?

[richardve]

CRIME.POVERTY,STARVATION...BIGGEST CAUSE OF THIS IS GREED. What we should be looking at is why there is crime in the first place.Your normal day to day stealing and robberies is due to the fact that people don%u2019t have money to buy food , educate their children , put a roof over their heads etc.
What is the BIGGEST cause of CRIME and POVERTY?GREED AND %u201CDEMOCRACY%u201D up to the point that companies have only one concern %u201CPROFIT MARGINS%u201D and how they can make more moneywith little or no concern about who is affected.
GLOBAL GREED has raped people of their dignity and pride.
Wouldn%u2019t it be better if companies reduced their profit margins and streamlined the overpaid senior management and invested more in the driving engine of the company?
Governments should be looking at giving tax benefits to companies that are %u201CHONESTLY%u201D towing the line with being able to prove that they are.our children are our future.
GREED is probably the worst disease in the world proably causes more deaths than any medical condition on Earth so the thing is if you can find a cure for GLOBAL GREED then you have taken the first step in reducing crime and poverty. People don%u2019t want to steal but what other choice do they have. Remember people with nothing have nothing to lose.
www.stopglobalgreed.co.za

[clifden6]

I can''t wait to read about Hillary and Bill''s tax return to learn if the both of them haven''t cleaned up by trading in oil futures. On the one hand we may have Hillary claiming to be the better commander in chief yet raking it in on oil futures. Hillary and Bill have traded before in commodities futures as revealed in an earlier tax return. Or perhaps President Hillary threatening Iran, subsequently destabilizing the Mideast and then driving up oil prices, and at the same time profiting from oil futures at the expense of the very people she swore to protect as president. Hopefully Senator Obama will start critically examining her record if any of this is true, before the Republican attack machine does, if she becomes the nominee.

[xphome-2009]

OIL IS VOLATILE BECAUSE OF THE ENERGY COMMODITY SPECULATORS! READ THE ARTICLE ABOVE AND LISTEN TO WHAT THE CEO OF EXXON SAID ON CNBC THIS WEEK: Speculators have pushed the price of oil up by at least 10% to 20%.

CURB our continued economic plunge by removing the speculators from the equation! In our current crisis of inflation combined with recession, energy commodity traders are traitors! Don''t let them sell out the US anymore!

If an energy commodity trader (individual or investment firm) can not prove that they are in the business of taking possession and converting/processing the energy commodity into wholesale products then they should be restricted from speculating. Call it what it is: gambling at the expense of the security of our nation.

Wouldn''t $75 a barrel of oil today bring about a turn around in our economy faster than Bush''s economic stiumulus checks? You bet!

A stable oil market is possible by removing the minute-by-minute volatility that the speculators are causing.

[liberalme]

More of the same??? Vote McCain!!!

[b-easy63]

likecats1,,,, You have lied to me on many things

Posted by j-whitman
----------------------
Get help j. The voices in your head are not me. I''''ve never been a pro-lifer, never been a born again, never was for the war in Iraq.

I voted for Kerry and am a Democrat.

Get help j. It breaks my heart to see someone with your brains and potential doing what you do.

Posted by ilikecats1 at 11:04 PM : Mar 05, 2008


Hello ilikecats--I''m heeeeeere. Time to post all of those horrible, mean porno laced comments I made to you....LMAO FREAKNIK.

[b-easy63]

Posted by b-easy63 at 08:28 AM : Mar 06, 2008

Dont forget that Oil is traded in Dollars only and no other currency. Just in case you knew and didnt want to mention it........

Posted by hillaryin08 at 08:34 AM : Mar 06, 2008

You''re right. Should have mentioned that, as well as these 2 pieces of salient info:

1. Though dollars are used to pay for oil, those who get them often must pay THEIR bills and for imports to their country in Euros or other currency--this is why it is important that the dollars paid reflect the real bills and inflation induced higher prices of now.

2. Precisely Saddam''s threat to marry the price of his oil to Euros is one of the main reasons behind the 1st Iraqi invasion and many believe it may have been the reason behind the 2nd invasion and present war---on top of that, Iran''s continual attempts to also tie the price of oil to the Euro instead of the dollar may be why that country is also in Bush''s gunsights also (on top of their meddling in a war we started due to our own meddling) there. that should cover it.

[omega39-2009]

Now OPEC is blaming bush and feeding the Liberal Insergency in America. I guess they conviently left out their number one customer now is China.

Posted by hillaryin08

Not even close, daily oil consumption as of 2007

#1 United States: 20,730,000 bbl/day
#2 China: 6,534,000 bbl/day

[brianbwb-2009]

"Dont forget that Oil is traded in Dollars only and no other currency. Just in case you knew and didnt want to mention it..." Posted by hillaryin08

You are 100% correct. This is because Nixon got Opec to use US dollars as the currency of payment, so when he sold the US treasury''s gold on the open market, starting on 08/19/72, the dollar wouldn''t collapse, oil has been the only reason the dollar has any value at all.

But think for a moment, the dollar has been falling, it is only a third of what it was worth in 72, and the rate of drop is now the fastest it has ever been.
If it continues, the Chinese will dump their 1.5 trillion on the market to cut their losses, pushing it even further down.

If you were OPEC, wouldn''t that press you to either raise the price, or switch to a more stable currency, like the Euro?

Once that happens, especially with idiots like McCain threatening OPEC member Iran, the dollar is instantly worthless paper.

So when you supported Bush''s fake war, which was the main reason he issued the debt now held by China, you supported the last of the nails in the US''s economic coffin.

[clifden6]

I am a little confused here about Dubya''s outburst:President George Bush lashed out at the organization, warning Tuesday: "I think it''s a mistake to have your biggest customers'' economies slowing down as a result of higher energy prices."
I mean after all didn''t the Patron Saint of the Republican Party Ronald Reagan not embrace the Patron Saint of American Economics Milton Freidman: His political philosophy, which Friedman himself considered classically liberal and consequentialist libertarian, stressed the advantages of the marketplace and the disadvantages of government intervention, strongly influencing the outlook of American conservatives and libertarians. OPEC on Wednesday accused the U.S. of economic "mismanagement" it said is pushing oil prices to new record highs, rebuffing calls to boost output and laying the blame at the feet of the Bush administration. But that''s OK, once President-elect McCain becomes President McCain, oil will be at $200 a barrel, which should cause a booming business for the bicycle industry in China, as well as its rickshaw factories, which then will provide badly needed employment for laid off Americans as rickshaw drivers, Ah yes, the Republican vision of America, back to the stone age.

[hillaryin08]

Since inflation is at about 300% the 104.00 per barrel price is really about 35.00/barrel in real dollars. OPEC is right--the continual devaluation of the dollar means to get their money, the oil consortium has to charge more and as long as Bush manipulates the dollar this will continue.

This is what people do not understand about the value of currency that is only backed by promises instead of a real asset like gold or platinum---the more you print, the less ALL of it is worth. It only has value due to the "promise" attached implicitly to each bill, the more bills there are, the more that promise is diluted. Ergo--continual borrowing and lower interest rates = a weaker dollar and a weaker dollar= high inflation and high inflation= goods from overseas (including oil) going through the roof to get the same value that they had 7 years earlier. This is basic econ.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted by b-easy63 at 08:28 AM : Mar 06, 2008

Dont forget that Oil is traded in Dollars only and no other currency. Just in case you knew and didnt want to mention it........

[hillaryin08]

OPEC Faults U.S. As Oil Hits New High

Now OPEC is blaming bush and feeding the Liberal Insergency in America. I guess they conviently left out their number one customer now is China.

The other peice of information conviently left out is the Demand will outstrip the Supply and peak in 2020. The real war for Oil is about to begin...........

[b-easy63]

OPEC CAN KISS MY AS$]

Posted by aheadace at 08:07 AM : Mar 06, 2008

They''s rather not--due to Bush''s policies, they are having more fun ramming your azz pell mell--why kiss what they can simply fvck?

[b-easy63]

Since inflation is at about 300% the 104.00 per barrel price is really about 35.00/barrel in real dollars. OPEC is right--the continual devaluation of the dollar means to get their money, the oil consortium has to charge more and as long as Bush manipulates the dollar this will continue.

This is what people do not understand about the value of currency that is only backed by promises instead of a real asset like gold or platinum---the more you print, the less ALL of it is worth. It only has value due to the "promise" attached implicitly to each bill, the more bills there are, the more that promise is diluted. Ergo--continual borrowing and lower interest rates = a weaker dollar and a weaker dollar= high inflation and high inflation= goods from overseas (including oil) going through the roof to get the same value that they had 7 years earlier. This is basic econ.

[joyous88]

yep, lets vote in some more criminally idiot republicans to fix the mess they created

[rowdytexan2]

Even Dubya''s godfathers over in the Mideast are getting tired of his little plan to grab all the oil business. They''re not fools. They''re basically thumbing their nose at him.

When we de-regulated, we just shot ourselves in the butt on the side where our wallet is held.

[irishbitch12]

Way to go georgie boy, what else can you f-u-c-k up.

[rowdytexan2]

World War? And, how do you determine that we would be standing alone?


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Posted by poopusbuttus at 02:39 AM : Mar 06, 2008

Poopusbutthead that supposedly works in the Pentagon, has evidently not witnessed our allies standing down, one after the other, nor seen the missions of Princess Incompetence begging them for help with no results.

[joyous88]

The conservative republican agenda is immoral, if you want more of their garbage, vote for MACBush,

otherwise vote for a democrat,