Beck and Guests Dissect Skyrocketing Gas Prices and Obama Admin's 'Misleading Facts About Oil Production

On Monday, Glenn welcomed two guests with quite a lot to say on the subject of energy prices to dissect the Obama administration's "misleading facts about oil prodcution." The first of these was Jack Gerard, President and CEO of the American Petroleum Institute (API). The second was the founder of Cross Consulting and Services and author of the book "Secret Weapon," Kevin Freeman:

(Related: Real News Contributor Matt McCall on why $5 Gas Prices Could Become a Reality)

Both men brought ample knowledge of the field to the program. Gerard has been the head of API -- the foremost trade association for oil companies -- since November 2008, after a long career in public service. From his bio at API's website:

Gerard has led API since November 2008, expanding its membership and influence in all 50 states and globally, adding offices in Dubai and Singapore to its operations in Beijing, enabling API to better inform the public and policymakers on important energy issues. API's Washington presence is the foundation for the oil and natural gas industry's advocacy and outreach at state, federal and global levels on public policy, standards and certification programs, and as the source for information on industry best practices.

Gerard is recognized by numerous publications and his peers as one of Washington's most influential advocates.Washington Life magazine named him one of the city's "Power 100" and a Fortune magazine profile said Gerard's effort to build a 50 state advocacy network for the oil and natural gas industry was "showing signs of success" through its outreach to workers and non-traditional allies.

Prior to joining API, Gerard served as president and CEO of the American Chemistry Council, and earlier held the same position at the National Mining Association. Gerard also spent close to a decade working in the U.S. Senate and House. He came to Washington in 1981, and worked for Rep. George Hansen. He also worked for Sen. James A. McClure, who chaired the U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Freeman, meanwhile, runs a company known simply as Freeman Global Holdings, LLC., which operates at the global level trying to gauge world markets for clients. His book alleges that foreign countries deliberately sabotaged the United States economy. From his bio:

Kevin Freeman is considered one of the world’s leading experts on the issues of Economic Warfare and Financial Terrorism. He has consulted for and briefed members of both the U.S. House and Senate, present and past CIA, DIA, FBI, SEC, Homeland Security, the Justice Department, as well as local and state law enforcement. He has traveled extensively with research trips to Russia and China and throughout Europe and the Americas.

Glenn opened the segment with a quote from Energy Secretary Steven Chu that gas prices should be "boosted" to the level of Europe (around $10/gallon now). He then segued into speaking with Gerard about the effects of Obama administration policies on the energy market. Specifically, Glenn pushed Gerard on the topic of why oil imports have decreased in the United States, as President Obama trumpeted in a recent weekly address. Gerard's response is below:

That's factually correct, but let me tell you why it's misleading. The reason our imports are down is because demand in the United States has dropped significantly because of the recession. So either the President is impliedly taking credit for the downturn in the economy or he's taking credit for the increase in domestic production, which is what we in the industry have done on state and private land.