Drilling in Alaska

Tragically, the Republicans are probably going to succeed in opening up the Alaskan National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to drilling for oil. And, as usual, they are showing that any claims of "bipartisanship" are so much rancid bullshit, by attaching the proposal to a budget bill so the Democrat don't have the option of filibustering.

And, also as usual, the question is: do the Democrats get it? The Republicans control the House, the Senate, the Judiciary and the Presidency, and, as far as they are concerned, that isn't enough power. They won't be satisfied until ALL dissenting voices are quelled completely. Even if those dissenting voices represent half the country.

And, as usual, the Democrats strategy has got to be the same as always: if they can't stop what the Republicans want to do, make them own it. Make it politically costly for them to stuff this unpalatable crap down the throat of America. And to do that, the Democrats have to be united and refuse to vote for the bill themselves, they have to offer alternatives to the bill for the sole purpose of forcing the Republicans to go on record as opposing the alternatives, and they have tie the Republicans' greed tightly around their collective necks like a millstone.

"President Bush has made access to the refuge's oil a key part of his energy agenda. Last week, Bush declared that 10 billion barrels of oil are waiting to be pumped from the refuge and that it could be tapped "with almost no impact on land or wildlife."

Dude? Spare us. You promised your friends, in exchange for campaign contributions, that they would make lots of money by wrecking Alaska, and you're paying back the bribe.

"Almost no impact," my ass.