Rep. Frank Wolf Pushes China/Cuba Myth By Referencing Mysterious CRS Report
Rep. Frank Wolf Pushes China/Cuba Myth By Referencing Mysterious CRS Report
In yet another political stunt press conference today, House Republicans continued their obstinate push for a vote on offshore drilling. To help the conservatives’ Big Oil argument, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) pulled a classic out of his rhetorical bag of tricks: The China/Cuba drilling myth.
Wolf brandished “a report from the Congressional Research Service,” which he claimed as evidence that “China has now been working with Cuba.” Wolf then proceeded to link together several utterly misleading statements meant to raise the specter of China drilling for oil off the coast of Florida:
WOLF: I have a report from the Congressional Research Service, which I can show you, showing that China has now been working with Cuba. And Cuba is getting ready to grant leases to foreign countries to drill off the coast of the United States. So here Cuba may very well give a lease to China!
Watch it:
It is unclear what CRS report Wolf is referring to. Though Wolf said he could “show” the report to the press, when ThinkProgress contacted his office, a staffer said they didn’t know when the report was released because they didn’t “have the report here.”
In June, when Sen. Mel Martinez first disputed the “urban legend,” he cited a February 2008 CRS report, which found that the only Cuban territory that China had leased for energy exploration was on land. Here’s what the February 2008 CRS report said:
“While there has been some concern about China’s potential involvement in offshore deepwater oil projects, to date its involvement in Cuba’s oil sector has been focused on onshore oil extraction in Pinar del Rio province through its state-run China Petroleum and Chemical Corporation.’’
Western diplomats have told McClatchy that “Cuba’s state oil company, Cupet, has issued exploration contracts to companies from India, Canada, Spain, Malaysia and Norway.” But there is no indication China is seeking any leases offshore.
By switching the Cuba/China myth to the future tense, Wolf is following in Rudy Giuliani’s footsteps. But that doesn’t make his misleading claims any more truthful. In some ways, it almost seems as if conservatives actually want China to drill off the coast of Florida so that they can use it to demagogue for offshore drilling.
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I have to salute Mel Martinez for standing up for the truth and laying the fuacata to the China-Cuba drilling myth.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:03 pmWolf brandished “a report from the Congressional Research Service,” which he claimed as evidence that “China has now been working with Cuba.”
– - Well hell, then I guess we have no choice but to immediately invade and occupy Cuba and bomb the hell outta China. Can we wait til the Olympians get back home, yanno, in the spirit of peace and cooperation?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:07 pmGee golly beav why didnt they push for a drilling vote from 1994-2006?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pmIronically, if this were actually true, then the Repubs could actually get to have there offshore drilling if they dropped the embargo of Cuba. Then the US could be one of the “foreign” countries winning the leases, instead of China!
Not that it matters, since the whole thing is absolute BS anyway.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:10 pmOnly problem, Gigi, is that the article you cited is from May 8, and the report has already been debunked several times since then, including by your home-state Republican Senator.
Try to keep up.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pmThe price of fuel is dropping with no help from comedy central up at Casa Blanco.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:12 pmEven if this CRS report is true, it’s not like Cuba is going to become the Saudi Arabia of the Caribbean.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:13 pmThis right-wing clown has been in Congress for decades by now. I remember being at a public meeting with him in Leesburg, Virginia back in the early 1980s and disputing with him about his notion that cutting the tax rates of of the rich would somehow increase the federal tax revenues. He was full of right-wing crap then and still is decades later. What a surprise…
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:14 pmRalphie – it doesn’t matter to Goony that the report has been thoroughly debunked – and by a Republican, too! - HE GOT IT FROM A CREDIBLE SOURCE!!!!
Dayum!! Give the poor little troll a break, Ralph. Sheesh. You’re going to make goony cry!!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pmgood_golly5 Says:
Hmmmm, isn’t the New York Times on the short list of news cites that missmolly gave me permission to cite? Try this one.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:09 pm
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So? All that story demonstrates is that Republicans have been planting the China/Cuba drilling myth since 2006. Doesn’t make it true.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:16 pmAnd so what, goony?
We won’t deal with Cuba. Why shouldn’t China? They have every right to do business with Cuba.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pmDoesnt cheaper fuel for China mean cheaper prices at Wal-Mart?
Ala Snark
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pmBlackbirdHighway Says:
Ironically, if this were actually true, then the Repubs could actually get to have there offshore drilling if they dropped the embargo of Cuba. Then the US could be one of the “foreign” countries winning the leases, instead of China!
Not that it matters, since the whole thing is absolute BS anyway
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
DING*DING*DING* WE HAVE A WINNER!
Exactly Blackbirdhighway!!!!!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:17 pmOf course if any oil is discovered off of the shores of Cuba we could just use the old American technique of invading them and stealing their natural resources. It works like a charm! Just ask BP and the United Fruit Company.
Oh, I got it now — it’s a fear-based argument.
How could I have not recognized it?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:18 pmMyths abound in today’s world…
-Bush is a ‘leader’
-Cheney is the VP
-McCain isn’t an elitist
-Romney is ‘in touch’
-Lieberman is a Democrat
-Mukasey enforces ‘justice for all’
-McCain is a maverick
-Cindy stopped abusing prescription drugs
-Conservatives are compassionate
I could go on, but you get the picture…
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:21 pm.
Q U E S T I O N:
How do you know a politician is lying…?
Their lips are moving.
p.s.
Where’s the lapel pin?
How unamerican… NO?
.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:23 pmLemme see, its okay for companies to buy cheap products [labor] from China but we dont want China to have access to cheap oil so they can make cheaper products.
There is something vewy, vewy screwy here.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:25 pmIt’s amazying how quickly gigi5 found that old NYTimes article, it’s almost like there were pre-arranged talking points sent out to the trolls or something…
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:27 pmgood_golly5 Says:
It’s a forward-looking argument, which is supposed to be the definition of progressive.
Ahhh, so bush’s pre-emtive occupation of Iraq is “progressive”. that makes sense. You must also be for executing all the minorities in this country too, before they commit the crimes you know they’ll commit, right?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:30 pmMore smoke and mirrors republican politics. Still playing the shell game for the dummies who still believe this farce.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:31 pmGuess what Goony!
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pmIf you get your way and we drill in ANWR, China will buy that oil!
China will buy the oil from off the coast of California, too.
China will buy oil as long as oil is avialable… and there is no cheaper alternative available.
Domestic production does not lead to cheaper domestic consumption when all oil is put in a big pot and portioned out to the highest bidder.
Oil is a fungable resource and will be sold to whoever is buying… unless you’re suggesting nationalizing the oil companies?
So? It’s Cuba’s leases to negotiate with whomever they please.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pmSadly, no, Gigi, it’s not a “forward-looking” argument the Congressman is making; it’s a fear-based one. No geologist believes that Cuba’s territory will prove to be an abundant source of oil, and China’s negotiating for leases will very likely have no impact on either our ability to extract oil, or Cuba’s ability to profit from it.
Yet the vague threat of “China drilling in our backyard” is enough to whip LIVs into a jingoistic frenzy, which nativist right-wing politicians can then manipulate for their own ends and the ends of their corporate sponsors.
“Forward-looking” indeed.
Was this the latest tip from the Troll Masters? “Work on framing our positions as progressive.”
Tell ‘em it ain’t working.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:32 pmgood_golly5 Says:
It’s a forward-looking argument, which is supposed to be the definition of progressive. Yet you want to keep looking backwards, saying “nope, they haven’t done it yet.” Look ahead. Progress.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:22 pm
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We are looking ahead – that’s why we’re pushing for more research and investment into alternative energy and weaning our country off of fossil fuels altogether, rather than parroting the antiquated “drill here/drill now” talking point.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:35 pmWanna really be energy indepentant, goony?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 pmSupport the development of cheap green energy… the time to transition from fossil fuels is here… look forward! Progress!
again the gigi5 trollbot has the instant fact at it’s apendage tips. Your handlers are working overtime today.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:39 pmWell, first off,GG, when cracking oil a 40 gallon barrel only produces about 17-19 gallons of fuel, do the math. So that 4.6 billion becomes less than 2.3 billion gallons of fuel.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pmWhat do you suggest Gigi, war with Cuba? Or maybe you can explain why it’s OK to do business with Communist China but it’s not OK to do business with Communist Cuba.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:42 pmAugust 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pm
Bobwurst, they don’t log on until they get their talking points sent to them. That and the fact that they don’t feel the need to adhere to facts helps.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:44 pmSounds like a lot, Gigi, until you consider that the US alone in 2004 consumed 20 million barrels a day, which translates to 7 billion a year. This means the upper estimate of yield would slake our thirst for maybe eight months.
I wouldn’t call that “abundant”. Maybe you would.
(What am I saying? Of course you would, if it would help your argument.)
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pmAnd china will stick there probe directly under the state of florida and it will disappear into a giant sinkhole and disappear into oblivion.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:46 pmgood_golly5 Says:
The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that the energy field on Cuba’s side alone may have 4.6 billion barrels of oil and 9.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. If they slant drill to the U.S. side, that number grows.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:36 pm
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And if they slant drill into the U.S. exclusive economic zone, they violate the 1977 treaty between the United States and Cuba as well as the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, putting the Chinese company at risk of prosecution under international law.
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:50 pmWe can dream, can’t we?
August 22nd, 2008 at 2:53 pmJust goes to show you that if you repeat a lie often enough a republican will believe it.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:04 pmAwww, now, goony, quit whining – we *said* that your source was credible.
It was just wrong, that’s all. Now, stop whining and shut up.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:07 pmGood Golly~
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pmExplain again how our drilling off the coast of Florida will lower domestic gas prices and why China buying oil fron the gulf is a cause for ‘concern…’
I love a good fairy tale.
Oh, isn’t that just priceless?
Gigi is identifying the embargo with Kennedy, a man who has been dead for forty-five years. Why not call it the “Bush Embargo” since George H. W. Bush codified it into law? Oh, that’s right — Gigi has this fetish for blaming Democrats for anything she can.
That is so cute, Gigi. Really. I could just pinch your little cheeks when you do stuff like that.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:11 pmThis group got more pitiful with each passing week. They’re now down to Five for fighting. And the data surges against them.
Miles driven in second quarter, down 1.8% in April, 3.7% in May and 4.7% for June.
OPEC cited a dramatic drop in demand for the second quarter. Idle sits capacity of 2 million barrels a day.
Gas prices soared 81 cents per gallon, resulting in yet again, record oil company profits.
Drive Less, Pay More is the second quarter reality. Drill Now, Pay Less wouldn’t have made the slightest impact.
August 22nd, 2008 at 3:59 pmThe CRS he is referring to is the midlife affliction.
August 22nd, 2008 at 4:31 pmCan’t Remember Shit
good_golly5 Says:
It’s a forward-looking argument, which is supposed to be the definition of progressive. Yet you want to keep looking backwards, saying “nope, they haven’t done it yet.” Look ahead.
Except it ISNT a forward argument because there is no POINT. Cuba and China are sovereign nations they get to make deals and Cuba can do what it wants with ITS resources. Also I am sure you arent saying that because China and Cuba do it then its a good argument that WE should follow suit I mean both those countries have a national health care system does that mean WE need to get one too?
August 22nd, 2008 at 9:44 pmWhat you lying liberals forget to mention is that Cuba is off the coast of Florida! So any drilling in Cuba is drilling off the coast of Florida! Oh you foolish foolish people.
August 23rd, 2008 at 7:38 am