You remember the fable of the Grasshopper and the Ant? The grasshopper spends the warm months--when food is abundant--singing, dancing, and generally enjoying himself while the ant works hard to store up food for the colder months, which he knows are coming. And sure enough, when winter comes, the ant is prepared and the grasshopper starves.

Well in the world of politics--and particularly when it comes to energy policy--there are a lot of grasshoppers and very few ants, and unfortunately, the grasshoppers have been setting policy for a long time now.

Almost three decades ago, on July 15, 1979, President Carter (one of the ants) delivered an important speech. Knowing that our nation's energy policy was unsustainable and that we were becoming increasingly dependent on oil from hostile foreign countries, he proposed a bold plan:

In little more than two decades we've gone from a position of energy independence to one in which almost half the oil we use comes from foreign countries, at prices that are going through the roof. Our excessive dependence on OPEC has already taken a tremendous toll on our economy and our people. . . .

This intolerable dependence on foreign oil threatens our economic independence and the very security of our nation. The energy crisis is real. It is worldwide. It is a clear and present danger to our nation. These are facts and we simply must face them. . . .

To give us energy security, I am asking for the most massive peacetime commitment of funds and resources in our nation's history to develop America's own alternative sources of fuel --from coal, from oil shale, from plant products for gasohol, from unconventional gas, from the sun. . .

He also called for a "bold conservation program to involve every state, county, and city and every average American in our energy battle."

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On Meet the Press, Sen. Graham flopped on his original positions on off shore drilling in his neck of the woods and Sen. Biden laughs at his phony argument at about the 2:40 mark of the clip and cuts his flipped positions into itty, bitty pieces. Most of us know that we can't drill our way out of the problem, but McCain and Graham are turning into Wall Street Zombies that now believe ANWR and off shore drilling will be the answer.

Download | play Download | play (h/t Heather)

MR. WILLIAMS: Senator Graham, this is what people are talking about. Myrtle Beach Sun News, "The Senate ... may consider lifting bans on exploring for oil and natural gas along the East and West coasts of the [U.S.] ... `I feel terrible about that,' Graham said. `The worst thing we can do as a nation is taking the easy way out. ... If you start opening up offshore drilling, then you are buying time and you are not addressing the fundamental problem with fossil fuels.'" So you see the argument, you made it.

Biden: hahaha

Goober Graham says that the price increases on oil and gas have changed his mind and position. Why should it? Before he didn't want to take the "easy way out" on our energy crisis, but know....well...McCain needs his help. The prices reflect badly on conservative principles that have governed our country under Bush. Since Graham is a co-conspirator to the Bush administration---why should we even consider his views on energy and oil at all? They have no credibility and should be ignored. At least they should be challenged by the media instead of having two different camps debating about it. Change in leadership and political philosophy is needed not Lawrence Kudlow talking points.

If only the media would take the time to explain the issues to the peeps instead of reading press releases. As Biden said---it'll take ten years to even begin getting any oil. And why didn't Williams ask Graham to explain himself after Biden's answer? He went to another topic. Full transcript below the fold via MSNBC:

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