"Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has changed his position and said he would be willing to consider new offshore drilling if it allowed comprehensive energy legislation to pass. His Republican challenger, John McCain, also switched his position and has called for opening most U.S. waters to drilling if the affected states agree.

"In the Democrats' weekly radio address, Pelosi of California said expanding drilling areas would be part of a broader bill which addresses other energy issues.

" 'It will consider opening portions of the (offshore) Outer Continental Shelf for drilling, with appropriate safeguards, and without taxpayer subsidies to Big Oil,' she said.

"Pelosi said the legislation would require oil companies to pay billions of dollars in drilling royalties, which would be invested in clean energy resources.

"Democrats also want to release supplies from the U.S. emergency oil stockpile to help lower gasoline prices, increase drilling in an Alaskan oil reserve that is already open to exploration and require utilities to generate a portion of their electricity from renewable sources like solar and wind energy.

"In addition, Pelosi said, the legislation would seek to rein in excessive energy market speculation that many U.S. lawmakers blame for running up crude oil and gasoline prices."

Well, Nancy, the speculators should be reined in without giving oil companies more offshore drilling rights and since oil companies are alreaddy wallowing in billions of dollars, windfall profits taxes on their profits could already help fund renewable energy.

Oil companies already have leases on 68 million acres that they haven't even touched but Nancy is willing to cave to the Republicans again, and give oil companies more offshore drilling sites that will result in no oil for a decade and then that oil will be utilized globally and have no effect on prices in the US  It will also be another environmental disaster waiting to happen just like the oil spills during Hurricane Katrina.

I wrote postings about oil driling lies here, here and here.

How about this idea, Nancy?  Why don't you and the rest of the Democratic House Leadership pool some of the contributions you receive from corporate lobbyists and run a few ads on national television explaining to the American voters why drilling offshore won't help lower gas prices?  The ads would cost much less money than cleaning up another oil spill or giving away the farm to the oil companies.

Another idea, Nancy.  Why don't you and the DNC get together and join state and local Democratic committees to spread the word via local media and elementary communication about the Republicans' lies regarding offshore oil drilling?  It's neighbor to neighbor information that works effectively.

Why is your first answer always to cave to the Republicans and a GOP president who has such low polling numbers and is head of the worst administration ever?  Or are you just paralyzed by a permanent minority mind set that, after more than a decade as a minority party on Capitol Hill, even though now the majority party, still acts like a minority and subsequently pulls even lower poll numbers than this ignorant, failed president?