Offshore Shilling

From the San Francisco Chronicle:

On the surface, President Bush’s decision Monday to lift the presidential moratorium on offshore drilling – a policy initiated by his father and extended by Bill Clinton – appeared only to embolden Democrats in their efforts to preserve the 27-year-old federal ban.

Congress has renewed its ban on drilling on the Pacific and Atlantic coasts every year since 1981, and top Democrats said Monday they will do so again this year, despite the pressure from Bush. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi called Bush’s action a hoax that “will neither reduce gas prices nor increase energy independence.”

Original DVD cover.

Oil Rigged

From the Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON — The prospect of sharply higher fuel prices, including $4-a-gallon gasoline, may not have made it into Oval Office briefing books, perhaps explaining why President Bush was surprised Thursday when a reporter mentioned what energy analysts are saying could happen soon in many parts of the country.

“Wait, what did you just say? You’re predicting $4-a-gallon gasoline?” Bush responded to a reporter who said some analysts expect prices to soon climb that high. “That’s interesting. I hadn’t heard that. . . . I know it’s high now.”

Original DVD cover