The Democrats under Obama are bankrupt of ideas.

And Obama’s latest ineffectual shot at having it both ways on energy is the moral equivalent of declaring Chapter 13 bankruptcy on energy-policy.

You see, Obama’s newest, bestest commitment to energy security for the US is in touring the half of the Keystone pipeline that’s being built without his permission. That’s because the part of the pipeline under his control isn’t being built because it was denied a building permit by none other than BHO himself

“The Obama administration denied a permit for the controversial Keystone XL oil pipeline from Canada,” reported the LA Times in January, “leaving the door open for the builder to reapply this year but prolonging a bitter political fight that has raged for months and energized each party's political base.”

That’s right. He denied the part of the pipeline he controlled, but wants credit for the part he can’t kill off.

Geez: It sounds a lot like his Middle East policy.

“The president stages a photo-op in Oklahoma to take credit for the portion of the Keystone XL pipeline that doesn't need his approval,” writes Investors Business Daily “and for oil production on private and state lands beyond his jurisdiction.”

IBD calls it a Potemkin Village photo-op.

It’s more like a Potemkin Village president.

The façade looked great, but as we now know, there’s nothing behind the cardboard cutout that's Obama, but a vast, arid wasteland.

Somewhere in Russia a village is missing a president.

“This is like a governor personally issuing a fishing license,” Brendan Buck, a spokesman for House Speaker John Boehner said according to BusinessWeek. “This portion of the pipeline is being built in spite of the president, not because of him.”

Now being fair to Obama, he wants you to know that he has no problem with the portion that’s half a pipeline. No; it’s just the whole pipeline that’s he has a problem with.