Democrats Fumble for Escape hosta on Oil Production Ban

A "nation of whiners" sometimes gets results for its kvetching.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that Democratic and Republican leaders are negotiating a compromise on energy legislation. Photo: John Shinkle

In the stages of grief, denial gives way to anger and then to bargaining.

It may be an apt metaphor this week, as Democrats’ long-held opposition to expanded offshore oil drilling succumbs to the political realities of $4-per-gallon gasoline.

Senate Minority Whip Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) said Wednesday that Democratic and Republican leaders are negotiating a compromise on energy legislation. Kyl declined to say who’s doing the negotiating or what results, if any, their discussions have yielded.

But Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a longtime proponent of increased offshore drilling, said he was seeing “a big shift, a big shift in my direction,” and it was hard to find Democrats who disagreed.

“I’m not knee-jerk opposed to anything,” said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.). “We’re willing to work. We haven’t shut our minds to anything.”

Democrats seem to be begging for a passel of almost-meaningless "conditions," just to show the nutroots they "fought" the Republicans on this. Harry Reid wants a guarantee that oil produced in America would be sold in America (who cares? It's all fungible, and of course it almost all would be anyway, based just on the fact that it's cheaper to keep it here than transport it) or some sort of certification that oil companies are showing good-faith efforts to exploit the leases they already have (they are, of course).

Minority Leader Boehner, meanwhile, offers the Republicans' plan: "All of the Above." Anything suggested, we do. Including the goofy shit like wind power. So long as the nitwit Democrats let us drill for oil.

It's true that's money poorly spent, but in this case I think it's justifiable as a necessary bribe to the environmentally-deranged public. We have to waste money to convince the public to avoid a recession.

And, who knows, there's a 0.001% chance some of that boondoggle research and subsidy crap might pay off.

posted by Ace at 04:57 PM

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