Hey baldy, we will be behind you all night long! The gays, lesbys, confused about our genders, and confused about our orientations will be at the polls or whatever in NYC. Good luck good buddy!

Keith! What a great opportunity for you to spread many great messages. You can count on whatever I can do in Maryland if AC comes here and I'll try to spread the word from my site. Much good luck, and New Yorkers, come out for Boykin!!!

Hey queer, I don't give a shit if you are gonna be president one day, Gay Santa here is gonna be the main attraction at the pride parade in New York. Hell son, you can lead it in a pink thong for all I care but you ain't hitchin a ride on Santa's sled if ya know what I mean. I'll give my little elfs a good bangin for ya though. I hope that B in GLBT stands for beastiality because I want my rights to bang reindeer soon too.

Finally, someone who puts excitement into campaigning.... Go for it, Bro.
Love ya,
Peace

Keith, I hope you win and I will be rooting for you.

Also hope that you will be free Saturday Aug. 28th to see me in person in Washington, D.C. at the Anacostia Museum. I'll be reading my new books and talk'n cash shit.

I know you haven't time to answer email lately, but wanted you to keep that in mind just in case you're near D.C.

Where oh where did Keith's AmCan blog go?
Oh where oh where can it be?
Where oh where did the history go?
Is AmCan re-writing? We'll see.

Fahrenheit 911--a must see!! Do not vote without seeing this movie. IF you ever had a doubt that Bush was a crooked, incompetent liar (and how could you?), this movie will dispell all doubts. You will see that there is no liberal media, only a corporate media. That Democrats are simply the other side of the coin that landed face up for the Republicans in 2000. Most of all, it will make you love our troops and respect the humanity of Iraqi civilians formerly known as "collateral damage". Enough is enough. Bring the troops home NOW!

best of luck to you keith...you are an important role model!

Ain't Michael Moore the same boring documentary guy that did the McDonald's movie "Supersize Me"??? I don't think he recovered from that one yet. Don't vote Keith, and pay back the Democrats for 8 years of sex addict liar for 4 more years of a man who's getting stuff done for America.

No, Michael Moore did not produce "Supersize Me". IF Bush was doing anything "for America", we wouldn't be paying 2.25 a gallon for gas because the dollar is now worth less against the Euro since he came to office. Instead, he ran up record deficits that made the U.S. dollar a less attractive investment on the world markets, reducing its value. As a result, you get screwed paying more for the same amount of gas. I will take Bill Clinton's screwing around with a two bit whore any day compared to Bush's fucking over the world economy. Monica Lewinsky never cost me a dime. Bush II has cost me thousands$$$$!

Damn dude you oughta move down here where I'm at. $1.79. And if you didn't notice by the way prices dropped. If you want the truth though we can't ditch NAFTA cuz we're tryin to stay out of a war with China and keep them from invading Taiwan. Then you got Iraq, and they only wanna blow up our guys and do those executions because they got this idea that America is a bunch of sodomite evil demons thanks to the surge in the liberal ideology. Then you got the liberals out protesting the war. hmmmm Even with Clinton we'd be in the same situation or worse.

Both of you guys don't know what you're talking about. The decrease in the dollar against the Euro has absolutely nothing to do with the increase in gasoline prices. Gasoline prices is determined by crude prices which is determined by the commodity's market. That market is affected by a lot of things, but primarily production output by OPEC. Gasoline prices have increased becuase OPEC has been reducing production output over the past few years while demand has been slowly increasing due to the economic recovery. Another factor is instability in the Middle East, which tends to cause an increase in crude prices, due to anticipated production interruptions. Since we don't get crude from Europe, the value of our dollar against the Euro has not impact on crude prices.

Also NAFTA has nothing to do with crude prices nor China.

While the decrease in the dollar makes European products more expensive, it also makes our products cheaper which increases our economic output and creates more jobs here. So a decrease in the dollar is not a bad thing. It can be quite good for our economy.

Hey Loco, We do get crude from Europe (North Sea, Norway, etc.) We also get it from Africa, Mexico, and elsewhere. We can debate the reason for the increase, but I know it was $1.00 a gallon when Clinton was in office and over $2.00/ gallon now. I choose the CLinton policies. As for Middle East instability, we know who caused that (clue--War for Oil, Israel, Bush vendetta against Saddam Hussein-who never attacked the US) By the way, got any Euros? They are worth 20% more than the Dollar now and have surpassed the dollar as the currency of choice, thanks to our horrible deficits and low interest rates.

I suggest researching and gaining a good understanding of the subject matter before jumping to conclusions and debating. We get very little (read hardly any) crude from the North Sea or Norway, most of that crude goes to the European markets. Also, neither of those crude are priced in Euros, since neither the UK (North Sea) nor Norway are on the Euro.

If you're basing your Presidential voting on the price of crude or the value of the dollar, that's perfectly ok. However, I think that's such a short-sided and simplistic view of socio-economic policies. Can you please explain what Clinton did to lower and keep crude prices low and what Clinton did to keep the value of the dollar high. Also explain why a overvalued dollar is so beneficial to our economy. That actually makes our goods and services more expensive and less attractive to the world markets. Fact of the matter is, the President little to no impact on the pricing of crude, interest rates or dollar valuations. Those are primarily determined by market forces most of which are outside the boundries of the President's control. What would stop someone from arguing that real estate prices are cheaper under George Bush than they were under Clinton, so I'm going to vote for Bush?

And just so you know...50% of imported crude comes from Saudi Arabia, Mexico and Canada. Another 24% comes from Venezuela, Nigeria and Iraq. North Sea is less than 3% and Norway even smaller than that.

Most of the increase in crude prices is attributed to production reductions by OPEC, not the war in Iraq.

Money talks, but you couldn't pay me to vote for GW Bu$h II. There are/were many reasons to oppose BU$h II before he wrecked our economy. But back to oil. Did it ever occur to you that we USED to buy oil from Iraq, despite the fact that Iraq was run by our favorite tyrant? Even when we were bombing Iraq for 12 years straight, we still bought his oil and never bombed his oil production facilities. The recent removal of Iraqi oil from the world market is a major factor in the increase in world oil prices. That oil was taken off the market for political reasons, not for a lack of demand. Iraq has the world's 2nd largest reserves and we don't get squat of it now.
Why? Because Bu$h II started an immoral war on the basis of lies. THe first thing protected after the invasion of Iraq was its oil fields, since that oil was going to finance the war (according to Wolfowitz). Some Iraqi patriots would rather destroy their own oil production facilities than have that oil be taken by the West, and who could blame them?
Now we are running around trying to cozy up with Libya again and another dictator in Equatorial Guinea (who also gained power in a coup) to replace the oil we used to get from Iraq.
A strong, stable dollar attracts foreign investment in the US. That creates jobs--here. Just this month, it was revealed that, for the first time, there was more foreign investment in China than in the USA. That is a terrible indictment of the world financial community's view of the future for growth in this country and the policies of this administration. We are well on our way to Third world nation status--exporting raw materials, producing few finished products, no social safety net for citizens, unstable currency and severe social stratification. Oh, how I long for the good old days of Clintonomics, when things were getting better, not worse.

Oh my God, don't be silly. This nation is nowhere near heading towards the third world. We were in an economic downtown, have you heard of it before? They happen and quite frequently. The boom of the 90's (which was primarily built from artificially high stock prices) couldn't have lasted forever. Good God man, are you completely clueless. There's no point in having a discussion with you.

Iraqi oil has no impact on the world crude markets. Before the war, Iraq was importing very little oil and it's production has been more than made up by increases from other OPEC members.

Nobody is cozing up to Libya. That country is trying to cozy up to us. That's the reason why they settled the Pan Am lawsuits and have invited inspectors to review their WMD/Nuclear programs.

Cmoney you don't know what you're talking about. You get your information from CNN and then think you know it all. Give it a rest girl.

I see why you are called "Loco". Anyone you can't argue down into submission must not know what they are talking about. Go back to Fox News with that attitude--Bitch. Have a happy 4th of July!

Cmoney,

I don't watch Fox News and I'm not a conservative. However, I also don't believe in going around making silly arguments to support why I will or will not support a Presidential candidate. There are many reasons why someone should not vote for President Bush; however, none of those reasons involve any of the SILLY notions you mentioned before. Please read a book (or two) and do more research about a subject before you get on this website making ignorant statements. If you think the President of the United States determines what the market interest rates will be, what the dollar valuation will be, what the crude oil markets will do, or that a President would go to war simply over oil...then you haven't got a clue girl. The fact that you originally thought the price of crude oil was affected by the US Dollar/Euro exchange rate shows just how much of a bafoon you really are. The fact that you think that because we were in a recession and that the US Dollar has been devalued means that we are fast approaching third world status, shows just how naive you are. That you think President Clinton is responsible for the economic boom of the 90's shows just how little you know of socioeconomics. That you somehow convinced yourself that you are right no matter what, shows just how immature you are.

You have failed to explain what specifically Clinton did that led to a strong dollar or a decrease in crude prices. You have failed to explain how a strong or a weak dollar is either beneficial or detremental to us.

Europe suffers from high unemployment and low GDP growth. Since the dollar has devalued in the past few years, our unemployment has remained HALF of that of Europe and our GDP growth has been almost twice as fast. NOW EXPLAIN WHY A DEVALUED DOLLAR IS SO BAD FOR THE ECONOMY, MR. PROFESSOR? Exlain why foreign investment is higher in the US than in Europe despite a lower valued dollar. Also just to inform your dumbass, the Chineese currency is pegged to the dollar so foreign investments in China has absolutely nothing to do with the dollar valuation against the Yuan, since it remains constant with the dollar. You fool.

The fact is you don't know...you only know bits and pieces of the puzzle and rather than go out and study the world to find the rest of the pieces, you just assume you know the picture. DON'T ASSUME GIRL! That's why it's impossible to have a mature debate with you. You don't know what you're talking about. Move on, please.

I would debate your assinine ass, but you resorted to name calling and I returned the favor, Bitch. The facts speak for themselves. The economy was better under Clinton than it is now--when the dollar was stronger. Oil was cheaper and we were not at war. The US recently renewed diplomatic relations with Libya, a terrorist state as of 6 months ago, and you don't see that as cozying up? If you continue to delude yourself that things are better now than four years ago, then there is no need to state anything to you. ..you are already convinced of your correctness. You are simply a fool.

Cmoney,

You argue with everyone on this site and everyone always accuses you of not knowing the facts and debating based on limited knowledge. And yet again, here is another person who has clearly shown you he has more knowledge and information about the subject and you still want to argue with him. Why don't you wake up and smell the cofee? You don't know what you're talking about. Good God, you think you would have gotten the point by now.

Don't bother, he will always remain a fool. He wants to argue that simply becuase things were better under Clinton we should vote Bush out of office. Well by the assumption, we should have voted for Ronald Reagan, since things were better under him than under Carter. Sorry but I still wouldn't have voted for Reagan simply becuase the economy was better. He just doesn't get it and never will. He's just argumentative. Wants to argue but doesn't want to learn. What a shame.

And he never once answered any of my questions. That alone should have showed him that he doesn't know what he's talking about. Oh well, he ain't the first fool and won't be the last so I'm not waisting anymore of my time on him.

This site is for argument. Argumentative? What do you call yourself doing? Unfortunately, you don't know how to debate with out resorting to name calling. Perhaps you are used to having one way conversations ala' Rush Limbaugh. Further, if you were so all knowing, you would have realized that the US does import oil from Europe. Once someone points out that you are not as smart as you think you are, you resort to name calling. Now you want me to believe that the President has nothing to do with interest rates and the value of the dollar. You truly imply your own ignorance with such suggestions. Record deficits makes money more expensive because other institutional investors must compete with the US Government's borrowing and other money market manipulations. Bush has created huge deficits, reversing the achievement of Clinton who erased these deficits. Starting a war against the 2nd largest oil producer in the world disrupts the world's oil supply, raising prices of oil, weakening the economies of nation's such as ours that depend on oil. When the dollar was stronger, foreign companies invested in the US, building manufacturing plants and hiring American workers, e.g. BMW, Mercedes Benz. This may seem counterintuitive to you, Mr. Smartypants, but even when it was cheaper to manufacture the products overseas, foreign corps. took advantage of our strong economy and built manufacturing plants here. Now, with a cheap dollar and a crappy economy, our jobs are being "outsourced" to India. Of course, there are many factors at play, but don't tell me that the President doesn't matter. If you can't see that a devalued dollar has devastated our economy, then you must be blind. Next, you will be trying to explain that outsourcing jobs is good for America. Tell that to someone who has lost his job to some guy in Bombay. At this time I would like to apologize to all of the Third World countries that I may have offended. There are some so-called Third World nations that are in some respects worthy of emulation. Costa Rica and Cuba at least offer health insurance to their citizens. The US has 45 million uninsured persons. Millions who have given up looking for work. High infant mortality in the inner cities. We export jobs and not products. My apologies to the Third World nations that care for their citizens. Finally, you can dog Europe's economy, but you can't deny that every single member of the EU has something 45 million Americans do not-healthcare. So keep waving your flag. Stay smug. Vote for Bush. Just don't lose your health insurance and get sick in America.

Cmoney,

You still have not answered the my questions. All you do is keep saying that same thing without any facts to back them up. I have provided facts and you all but ignored them. That's why you're argumentative. You argue just for the sake of arguing without any proof and when provided with facts you still argue the same point.

1. US does not import much oil from Europe. I have provided facts that clearly shows that the US imports very little oil from Europe (why don't you look it up yourself). You completely ignored the facts and are still trying argue that the price of oil is high due to the Euro/US Dollar exchange rates. In fact, the countries you claim we import so much oil from aren't even on the Euro and STILL you are trying to argue that the high price of oil is due to the Euro. Fact is the price of the Euro has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with oil prices.

2. Record deficits makes borrowing more expensive. Well if that were completely true why is the cost of borrowing the lowest it's ever been despite the record deficits we've been incurring. The facts don't support your arguments. While the Bush administration was racking up high deficits, home loans were the lowest they have ever been. Please explain that, given your argument? The fact is, and this is my biggest complaint about your arguments, you vastly oversimply complex issues.

3. The war did not disrupt oil supplies. The biggest fallacy in your Iraqi oil argument is that you assume that Iraq has been at full production until we invaded. Iraq has been prevented from selling oil due to various UN sanctions since they invaded Kuwait. The were eventually allowed to import SOME oil for food and medicine, but nowhere approaching their full capacity. Fact is, Iraq has not been at full production since 1990. So the war in Iraq didn't displace a huge amount of oil in the markets and the amount that was disrupted was quickly replaced by other oil producing nations. Contrary to the assumptions underlying your arguments, not all countries are at full production. So countries can make up for production disruptions in other countries. Which, by the way, is not an unusual phenomenon. Oil from Venazuela (a much more important imported to the US) was disrupted when employees went on strike for several months. That production was quickly made up by other countries. Finally just because Iraq has the 2nd largest reserve doesn't mean they were the 2nd largest importer of oil. All that means if that they have the 2nd largest amount of oil underground (most of which is unproven/untapped).

4. Corporate jobs going overseas. You provide a lot of emotional arguments but very little substance. Come back and provide some support for your arguments. Jobs have always been going overseas, that's the way the world works. Do you think that just started happening just because Lou Dobbs started doing a series on it? Get real. Jobs have always and will continue to flow to countries with cheaper labor. We've had to deal with that since the 1950's and yet we still have the strongest economy with the lowest unemployment. Prove to me that BMW and Toyota and other corporations are leaving the US in droves to go to India and China, don't just state opinion....provide some facts to back up your argument.

5. I never dogged Europe's economy. I simply asked you to explain why is it so bad to have a weaker currency if the US GDP growth is twice that of Europe and it's unemployment is half that of Europe. And you came back with 'health insurance'. You completely avoided the question because you can't explain it and you realize that your argument is full of crap. Now I ask you again...if having a weaker currency is so bad. WHY DOES THE US HAVE HIGHER GDP GROWTH, LOWER UNEMPLOYMENT AND HIGER FOREIGN INVESTMENT THAN EUROPE? I'll await your detailed, factual, ON-TOPIC answer. By the way, I don't recall Kerry promising nationalized health care...if you do please point me to where he's made that his campaign promise.

So you got your wish, I stayed on topic provided factual information and avoided making any smug comments. Now I await your comprehensive, ON-TOPIC, factual response.

With all this talk about oil, why is no one concerned with the fact that the U.S. is using far more than its share of energy and importing over 50% of its oil? This dependence on imported oil is distorting foreign policy. The fuel efficiency of vehicles was actually higher 20 years ago than it is now. Of course, Bush is doing nothing about that.

Just think what would happen to the U.S. economy if imported oil were even partly cut off.

If the U.S. is ever reduced to 3rd world status (unlikely in the forseable future), it will be because of energy problems.

Those of us who have studied energy issues are well aware that in the not too distant future, the price of oil will greatly increase. There is only a limited amount of oil available. Most of the large and easy to reach oil fields have already discovered and reserves are actually decreasing. Why isn't this getting the attention it should?

Also, regarding terorism, obviously something should be done about the root causes of terrorism instead of merely trying to turn the U.S. into a closed and heavily armed country in what could be only a marginally successful attempt to safeguard the people. This problem has not been addressed.

Cmonkey,

We are all waiting your response to Loco. Surely you have the information, facts and figures right at your finger tips. You know it all girls are all the same, all talk and no susbtance. Love to argue someone down, and don't know shit.

I am tired of arguing with you, so don't take my word for it. Check out this article from the April 7, 2004 Christian Science Monitor regarding the impact of the falling dollar on the price of oil in the U.S.

from the April 07, 2004 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0407/p09s02-coop.html

Overlooked factor in oil hike: falling dollar
By Richard C. Leone and Bernard Wasow
NEW YORK - Gasoline and heating-oil prices in the US are at an all-time high and rising. But it may surprise Americans to learn that in Europe, they've essentially remained steady. Why the cost difference?

Experts have a lot of good reasons to explain it, among them unrest in the Middle East, gas-guzzling cars, and greed among oil-producing nations. But there is another culprit that is being ignored and that is making the problem far, far worse in the US: the decline in the value of the dollar.

Between the end of February 2002 and the end of February 2004, the price of oil in dollars rose by 51 percent (from $20 a barrel in 2002 to more than $35 a barrel today), but it rose by only 4 percent in euros. Over the same two-year period, the US currency plunged from 1.16 euros per dollar to 0.80 euros per dollar. In this situation, it is perfectly rational for foreign suppliers of oil to charge more dollars.

While remedies such as encouraging more efficient use of energy are good, they won't negate the fact that a declining US dollar is an important cause of the run-up in oil prices. And the Bush administration is doing little about it.

It may seem like a stretch to blame the price of oil on fiscal mismanagement, but the rise is closely tied to the falling dollar, which, in turn, is the result of flagging confidence in federal tax and budget policies. The dollar is falling, among other reasons, because of the prospect of too many US Treasury bonds on the market - and that is made necessary by the enormous deficits generated by tax cuts, spending increases, and sluggish economic performance.

Thanks to the unbalanced policies of the past few years, the US will be pumping out trillions of dollars in new federal debt. Financial markets - and oil producers - are afraid that a future glut of bonds will drive down their value and, sooner or later, drive up US interest rates. The prospects of falling Treasury bond prices and a weak dollar have depressed European demand for US Treasury bonds, so the value of the euro has risen further relative to the dollar.

Dollars today simply do not possess the same purchasing power that they did a few years ago - a situation that will persist as long as it is painfully obvious that the administration has no plan to reduce the deficit. As the value of the dollar falls, of course, OPEC raises the dollar price of oil.

So as Americans flinch when they pump ever more expensive fuel into their tanks, they might reflect on the decline in international confidence in the dollar. It is more proof of the adage, "there's no such thing as a free lunch." In terms of today's relationship between the weak dollar and oil prices, the political version of a free lunch is a buffet of tax cuts, big deficits, high gasoline prices, and blameless officials.

Officeholders can claim credit for cutting taxes while blaming mysterious international market forces for increases in oil prices - but the bill still must be paid.

• Richard C. Leone is president of the New York-based Century Foundation, where Bernard Wasow is a senior fellow. This commentary originally appeared in The Los Angeles Times. ©2004 The Los Angeles Times.

It's not just my opinion, it's a fact.

It took you that long, and all you could find was an op-ed piece to support your claim. That is not factual evidence cmoney, but merely someone else's opinion. You obviously don't know the definition of the word FACT. The Chrisitan Science Monitor and/or its auther is just as wrong as you are. They didn't provide any evidence, they just merely stated that the Euro was rising and so was the price of crude, so they must be related. WRONG. Suppliers of our crude(primarily companies in Mexico, Canada, South America and the Middle East) aren't tied to the Euro so they could careless what that exchange rate is doing. That's like saying the US Dollar has declined against the South African Rand while crude prices were increases (a true statement) so the price of crude must be tied to the Rand/Dollar exchange rate. Silly, rabbit.

You also ignored all my other questions. I doubt that was an oversight. Hopefully you finally realize you need to your homework before running off at the mouth. But like you, I'm also tired of debating. You are clueless and seem to be perfectly happy being so.

Take care cmoney and good luck with your future.

One of the authors, Bernard Wasow, has a PhD. in economics from Stanford. I guess he's just running off at the mouth too. Whatever. Invest in Euros!

So a fact is a statement that comes from someone with a PhD in economics from Stanford. That's good to know. Next time I have a discussion with someone I'll be sure not to do my own research but simply find a statement/opinion from a Stanford professor and throw it out there as fact.

And now you're providing investment advice too. That cmoney is a jack of all trades. LOL

BTW- Stanford has a couple of right-wing conservative (read: racist) professors. Some of whom spouts black ignorance being tied to our genetics and culture. D'souza being one of them. I suppose since they are Stanford professors they also must be right and their statements must be factual.

Cmonkey has proven himself an idiot a long time ago. He's argued with damn near everyone on this site at one time or another. I have no clue where he gets his ideas from and why he thinks they are always right (despite all facts pointing otherwise). Though one person gave the suggestion that he gets them from the graffiti off of bathroom walls. I'm starting to think that's true. Don't waste anymore time on him, he's a fool.

At least I have the balls to make some input and not post anonymously. Some of you fuck offs like to post messages under different anonymous names and pretend like no one notices that you are the same person. Please. You give yourself away as the same person by the language you use. If you don't have anything to contribute, then shut the fuck up.

Isn't every posting anonymous? Cmoney doesn't quite give me any clues as to who you are nor where you live. So how is that any different than Loco. Who knows if your email address is even correct or if that's your real name. It's all anonymous, that's both the beauty and the downfall of the internet.

In any event, don't get pissy about the situation. You had your opportunity to respond to my points with factual information to back up your claims. You failed to do so. And now you start the name-calling, something you originally claimed you detested. The fact is, you grossly oversimply complex situations, make baseless claims and your arguments filled with emotion but lack substance and facts. You can either take from this a need to start researching your topics in detail before making assumptions and forming opinions or you can continue the status quo...either way makes no difference to me, however it should be important to you. You really do sound like a smart fella cmoney, I just think you're limiting yourself by forming opinions without knowing the full facts.

We both agree that Bush needs to go and let's leave it at that.

Take care and good luck cmoney!

I wasn't talking about you, LOCO (at least I don't think I was!)--you at least made a contribution to the discussion.

According to Yahoo, Keith has been picked as one of the 10 canidates.

Keith,

Well, your campaign platform for American Candidate is getting under way at my Farewell to Friends going away party on July 24, 2004 in Oakland, CA...I'm having the party at Everett & Jones "Q" Lounge from 7:00-10:00pm. My host is Rick Range and 30 guests are coming in as far away as NY. Every guest will get a packet re: upcoming election in Nov. Since seeing Fahrenheit 9/11, I have become an advocate for Kerry/Edwards.
In fact, I'm a Republican for Kerry/Edwards. Nonetheless, it would be nice if you could send a greeting (either by email or video) and it will be read or shown. I wish you luck on the TV show American Candidate and look forward to its airing.
By the way, I'm moving to Memphis, TN because I own a home there and the prices are low. My business, DJ Consultants will now have two office.
One in Calif and one in Tennessee. I want to expand my business which is a legal collection agency.
All the best to you,

Don Jones c/o
DJ Consultants
Pinole, CA

Hey Loco, At the risk of reopening an old argument--- I couldn't resist this headline:

Oil Hits Six-Week High on Weak Dollar
Fri Jul 16, 2004 10:58 AM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - U.S. oil prices surged to a new six-week high on Friday as a falling dollar and the vulnerability of stretched global supplies spurred a new wave of speculative fund buying, traders said.
U.S. light crude jumped 73 cents to $41.50 a barrel, topping this week's earlier high and nearing June's $42.45 peak, a record for the contract's 21-year history.

European benchmark Brent was up 77 cents at $38.25 a barrel, having climbed more than $1 at one point, buoyed also by an exceptionally strong cash crude market in the North Sea.

The market rallied sharply in the afternoon, following news of a muted rise in U.S. inflation and a below-forecast report on consumer inflation that sent the dollar down to four-month lows versus the euro.

That drop appeared to trigger a rush of fund buying onto the energy complex, as investors looked to oil to provide high returns in a time of weakness for fixed-income and foreign exchange markets, analysts say.

Further weakness in the dollar is also like to prompt OPEC to maintain oil prices at higher levels to compensate for reduced purchasing power of the currency for global oil trade.

Oil prices have surged 16 percent in the last three weeks, kept on edge by disruptions to oil supply in Iraq, Norway and Nigeria at a time when the world's spare capacity is at its lowest in more than 10 years.

Iraqi exports in the first half of this month came to only 1.4 million barrels per day (bpd), about 400,000 bpd below capacity, as sporadic pipeline sabotage and technical problems hit flows, shipping sources said.

Price gains were spurred this week by an unexpected decline in U.S. crude and gasoline inventories, plus worries that heating oil supplies are not being built-up quickly enough ahead of the winter.

The U.S. oil data added to fears over supply disruptions at a time when output capacity was being stretched by rapidly growing demand -- estimated to be expanding at 2.5 million barrels per day (bpd) this year, its fastest clip in 24 years, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA)......"

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© Copyright Reuters 2004. All rights reserved. Any copying, re-publication or re-distribution of Reuters content or of any content used on this site, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without prior written consent of Reuters.

I edited part of the article, but, you get my point--a weak dollar causes oil prices to go up. That damn Bush!!

I SAW IT! Caught the Showtime ad with you in it for the first time this evening. I can't wait for the show to start airing!

VOTE FOR KEITH!!!

I yelled out a big cheer when I saw you on the commercial.

CMONEY,

Why are you so much of a Clinton backer? Didn't he sign the heavily bigoted "DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE ACT"--Basically ignoring the full faith and credit clause of the Constitution. Didn't Clinton also punk out and endorse the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy.

Bill Clinton was a wolf in sheep clothing, his charisma made him popular among liberal blacks. But his platform catered to Reagen democrats.