Boehner's Keystone Pipeline Approval Tactics Hurt Obama Either Way (ContributorNetwork)

COMMENTARY | House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, will attempt to attach the approval for the Keystone pipeline onto the new jobs bill, according to ABC News. As someone who has studied the machinations of politics for years, I can see this turning into an interesting fight in the next few months. I can see the Keystone pipeline becoming one of the keystones of the Republican campaign against President Barack Obama.

If Boehner is not allowed to attach the Keystone approval to the jobs bill, I see him attempting to attach it to every major bill that comes up in the near future. The Republicans, and some Democrats, have made the pipeline a major issue. President Obama has stated he does not want the approval to come before the 2012 election, but supporters of the plan, and Canada, do not want to wait that long. The concern comes over the threats by Canada to take its business elsewhere if the U.S. cannot finalize the plan which has been on the table for over three years.

Even though Speaker Boehner is not running against President Obama, he is in a strong position to help the Republicans right now. By continuing the pressure on Keystone, the president can be shown in a negative light. By not signing off on a plan that would create loads of jobs (actual numbers debatable), the president is shown as being weak on jobs and weak on foreign relations with one of our closest neighboring countries.

By attaching the Keystone pipeline approval on every major bill, Boehner is putting President Obama in a Catch-22 situation. If a bill passes Congress, does the president pass a bill the country needs (such as the jobs bill) and go back on his word about the pipeline or does he veto the bill simply due to the approval and have it held against him later? President Obama would have to fend off attacks by his Republican opponent over his inability to make the approval or his excessive vetoes.

This is a strong political move by Speaker Boehner that not only strengthens his case over the Keystone pipeline, it also sets up the possibility for President Obama to be shown in a negative light. This is a well-planned move during a crucial election year such as this. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/obama/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ac/20120129/pl_ac/10899941_boehners_keystone_pipeline_approval_tactics_hurt_obama_either_way

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