GOP House Revolts; Pelosi Punts

The big issue of this campaign season may well be the Drill Here, Drill Now drive to unlock America’s own energy sources of oil, natural gas, coal and nuclear power. So far, the battle is being fought in the dark on Capitol Hill by a lonely handful of Republican Congressmen.

Erick Erickson in RedState Under the Radar reports The Republican Revolt Continues

Nancy Pelosi, having fled the House of Representatives to promote her book, has done her best to shut down the Republican fight for increased drilling and American energy expansion. She turned off the microphones in the House of Representatives. She turned off the lights. She locked up the visitors gallery.

What Nancy Pelosi could not do, however, was shut out Republicans. The House Republicans have taken to the floor of the House despite no lights and microphones. And they have invited in the public to watch. In just one week more tourists have heard the Republicans’ energy proposal than have purchased Nancy Pelosi’s book.

Brian Darling at Human Events writes about the clash of Drill Here, Drill Now vs. Don’t Drill Here Ever in Americans Take Back the House

As liberals remain disengaged and outright hostile to American energy production, the country -- and to some extent the presidential candidates -- appear to be passing them by. According to a recent Gallup poll, 89% of Americans believe congressional inaction has been an “important reason” that gas prices have reached record highs. Not surprisingly, a slew of new polls indicate a majority of Americans want to access America’s energy offshore, including 57% of liberals, 57% of Floridians and 51% of Californians. Deftly reading the tea leaves in June, John McCain announced his support for offshore energy exploration, and Barack Obama admitted he had to refine his position because Republicans have been so effective in their messaging.

…The good news for Americans is that come Oct. 1, the 27-year-old congressional moratorium on offshore energy production will expire. The bad news is that liberals in Congress can block new drilling by continuing the congressional ban on exploration without a vote on the issue. Conservatives should not rest until Americans have access to American energy and should demand that Congress take no action that doesn’t result in new domestic exploration and drilling.

But we may never get to the Oct. 1 showdown over the expiration of the domestic drilling ban. Martha Zoller at Human Events gives both sides of a supposed compromise being floated by five GOP Senators and five Democrat Senators in Just a Deal Between 10 Senators

This is another “Mr. Smith Goes to Washington” moment. I challenge all the Senators supporting the framework of the Gang of 10 to go to the House floor and stand with the members of the House of Representatives who are standing tall on this issue and that includes the 5 Democrats, too. Then, let’s get the Democrats like Rep. Heath Shuler (D-NC), Rep. Jim Marshall (D-GA), Rep. John Barrow (D-GA) and the other so called “Blue Dog Democrats” to stand up with their colleagues for an American issue to “Drill Here, Drill Now and Save Money” for the American people.

Christopher Chantrill at American Thinker also blasts “The Faithless Five” GOP Senators. He flatly calls it Another Bipartisan Betrayal

Michael Reagan says the showdown over the ban on drilling for our own oil is a “golden opportunity” and it’s time to Fight or Die Republicans

Republicans have their backs against the wall, facing a bloodbath on Election Day that will leave the party in shambles and the nation in the hands of the worst conglomeration of demagogues, scoundrels and loony leftists ever put together in our nation’s history.

…This is a golden opportunity, and if the GOP fails to take full advantage of it they will deserve it if the voters go with Democrats in November. The American people are with the Republicans on the most important issue of our time.

The question is, are the Republicans on their side and willing to lead them in the fight to use all the oil resources the Lord has given us in such great abundance and which now are untapped beneath our feet because the Democrats won’t allow us to drill down to get it.

But while the Gang of 10 made plans to run up the white flag, guess who beat them to the punch? Nancy (No drilling here!) Pelosi. She threw in the towel last night on the Larry King Show, reports The Hill, saying she now “open” to an offshore drilling vote in the House this fall.

BTW, what do Nancy Pelosi and oilman T. Boone Pickens have in common? Would you believe "wind"? Oh, in addition to wind power, there's one other thing both are interested in: billions in tax dollars.

Nancy Pelosi says that she is trying to save the planet and prevent global warming, but the reality is that, according to disclosure statements, in May 2007 she invested in T. Boone Picken’s clean energy fuels corp., CLNE, which is the sole sponsor of a proposal in California to funnel $5 billion in state funds and $5 billion in Federal funds to this corporation which will indirectly help them create a giant wind farm in the Texas panhandle.

Now that explains why Pelosi is so dug in against drilling for American oil, doesn't it?