T. Boone Pickens’ appearance in San Antonio a few days ago got the attention of long-time political commentator, Jan Jarboe Russell who wrote an op-ed for Sunday’s San Antonio Express-News.
Ms. Russell, describing Boone’s appearance at the Downtown Rotary Club, wrote:
Pickens is playing a transitional role. He is not the first person to point out the inevitability of alternative power. But he is the first red-meat Republican … to go so spectacularly green. He is to energy independence what Richard Nixon was to China – a useful contrarian who opens doors.
Ms. Russell wrote about Boone having met with both Sen. McCain and President-elect Obama during the campaign to explain the Pickens Plan.
He met with Obama, too … Obama took notes and told Pickens that it was his goal to have 1 million plug-in hybrid vehicles on the road in the next 10 years. Pickens shrugged and said that just wasn’t good enough.”
If you’ve heard Boone talk about this meeting, you know the story. Senator Obama said he wanted one million battery-powered cars on the road in 10 years. After Boone “shrugged” he reminded Sen. Obama that there are 250 million vehicles on the road in America and one million hybrids over ten years wouldn’t make a dent.
Boone says Obama looked at him and said, “That really isn’t very many, is it?”
Russell concludes here piece writing:
Pickens told Obama what he told the Rotarians in San Antonio. “If we don’t fix our energy problem right now, we won’t have any money for better health care or anything else,” said Pickens. “This is a war without guns.”
It’s the right message, and at an impatient 80, Pickens is exactly the right messenger.
To read the entire article, click HERE.
— The Pickens Team