A Manhattan Project for energy independence?

President Bush blew into Silicon Valley last Friday for a televised meet-and-greet with Cisco Systems’ John Chambers before heading out to Napa Valley for some quality mountain biking. As it turned out, that was the most productive part of his visit.

Bush opened his talk at Cisco by suggesting it would be an “issues discussion” focused on how to secure the nation’s energy independence and improve competitiveness. He said he wanted to engage in a conversation about “how America intends to shape our future and not fear the future.”

I was prepared to pay the price of admission–suffering through an hour’s worth of political posturing–if he’d make good on the rhetorical promise. Sad to say, somebody now owes me a refund.

Jumping from one talking point to another (those speechwriters back in Washington know how to earn their keep), Bush provided little follow-through and little depth to his comments. The audience heard a lot of standard stump lines about lowering taxes and being optimistic, but the president disappointed when it came to offering a big vision or specifics on how to mobilize a technology industry that’s itching to help solve America’s perennial energy crisis.

CNet