Does Obama Want Credit for Keystone?

So many questions as to why on earth President Barack Obama would veto a no-brainer, job creator like the Keystone pipeline bill.

The presumption is that Obama is simply an ideologue. Or he's simply beholden to Tom Steyer and the environmental lobby. Or he is so hopelessly partisan, he just wants to veto everything the Republican Congress sends him.

President Barack Obamma (WhiteHouse.gov)

Or, he wants to take credit for all the productivity that comes from the Keystone XL pipeline.

From the Washington Examiner:

President Obama Monday predicted that the State Department would conclude its review of the Keystone XL pipeline within "weeks or months," meaning the White House likely would make the final call on the project this year.

"I think it will happen before the end of my administration," Obama told Reuters on Monday, referring to the Keystone XL project, which the State Department has been reviewing for more than six years.

When pressed further, Obama suggested the evaluation would be completed within "weeks or months."

The president recently vetoed legislation authorizing construction of the 1,700-mile pipeline, just the third time he has exercised such powers.

So sure. Veto and totally get Congress out of it. Then in weeks or months, when he needs a boost and Republicans are distracted on other issues, boom, the State Department completes it's ongoing process. After the process is done, it's the Obama administration -- having done its due diligence -- that approved the Keystone pipeline. If it creates as many jobs as advertised, it's part of the president's legacy. If not, well, it was his State Department that did it.