Believe it or not, Donald Trump is sounding more and more like somebody who might actually run for president. As opposed to someone who is just talking up running for president as a means to boost ratings for "Celebrity Apprentice."
In a Fox News interview a few days ago he noted that "a lot of people would be very upset if I didn't run." Plus, he keeps talking about how he'll announce his intentions after "Celebrity Apprentice" ends its season, because if he said anything earlier he'd have to put the show in a blind trust, or something like that. This implies that he is going to run, because if he isn't, he could say so anytime he wants.
"In my own mind, I think I've made the decision. I feel this country is just a disaster," he said on Fox.
Anyway, if he's really going to run, he's going to need positions on the big issues of the day. And right now the biggest worry for average Americans is gas prices. What would President Trump do about the high cost of oil?
That's easy -- with his billions he'd buy every voter in the U.S. a Ford Fusion hybrid. Demand would drop, prices would sag, and Detroit would boom, all without any kind of federal buyout. Winning!
Actually he's proposed nothing of the sort -- that's just made that up. But Trump has talked a bit about gas policy in recent days.
If the economy is to get back on track, oil has to drop to between $40 and $60 per barrel, Trump said Monday during his weekly appearance on "Fox and Friends."
"Right now it looks like it's going up to $150 dollars [per barrel]. We could never come back if oil is at those levels," said Trump.
Wow, that's a big swing he's talking about. How to get prices low again?
Trump has a developing multipoint policy here. First, he says we should yell at OPEC, which (according to Trump) is laughing at us while they raise prices and push us to get tangled up in Libya.
"I'm all for attacking oil companies but why isn't [Obama] attacking OPEC?" Trump said Monday. "Because OPEC, it all starts there."
Second, we should drill. A lot.
"This is crazy. They can't drill in the Gulf, they can't drill in Alaska, they can't drill anywhere, and in the meantime we're just being held hostage by all of these foreign nations that are just ripping us," Trump said.
Well, what about that little BP oil spill thing? Aren't there valid concerns about whether drilling is the best thing for the environment or not?
"I understand the environment, I have received many, many environmental awards, but they are making it impossible for us to do anything," said Trump.
We're pretty sure that "they" in the above quote refers to environmentalists. But it could be OPEC -- The Donald's rhetoric can jump quickly from one subject to the other.
Finally, Trump has also talked about simply seizing Iraq's oil fields. That would raise, um, touchy geopolitical/military questions.
Also, Iraq is a member of OPEC. If the U.S. takes Iraq's oil fields, wouldn't that make the U.S. a member of OPEC, too? Then we would be the cause of our own petroleum-based distress (see "yell at OPEC," above.)
For a Trump administration, that Fusion-hybrid-in-every-garage idea might look better and better after their weigh their options.
For the record, we'd prefer ours in flame metallic blue.
Alaska Dispatch encourages a diversity of opinion and community perspectives. The opinions expressed herein are those of the contributor and are not necessarily endorsed or condoned by Alaska Dispatch. This article originally appeared in The Christian Science Monitor and is republished here with permission.