Lies, lies, lies, YEAH!

Big scoop for Dana Milbank and the Post today. Apparently, neither the White House nor the oil industry was being straight with us about those secret energy task force meetings at the beginning of Bush's first term. (There's a shock, huh?) The oil execs categorically denied meeting with Task Force officials in testimony to Congress last week. Hey? Isn't that a criminal offense? Well it WOULD be, if committee chair Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska), a buddy of big oil and proponent of drilling in ANWAR, hadn't declined to swear the execs in. Funny how that worked out, eh?

Oh, and this is particularly delicious in the wake of Jeff Jacoby's passionate defense of his heroes in the oil industry in last Sunday's Globe. If you've got money and power and you're right wing, chances are Jeff's got your picture up on his fridge.