Pelosi Blocks Offshore Drilling Vote GOP Wants

[pinniped]

Source: Chronicle Washington Bureau

(08-01) 04:00 PDT Washington --

For weeks, pressure has been mounting in Congress to approve more domestic oil drilling, but House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has held the line, using her power to block a vote on offshore drilling.

President Bush has made almost daily calls for Democratic leaders to take action. House GOP leaders, citing a new poll showing that a slim majority of Californians now favor offshore drilling, issued a release Thursday saying "even (Pelosi's) own California neighbors oppose her efforts to block new drilling far off American coasts." GOP lawmakers are so disgruntled they're urging Bush to deny Congress its August break by calling a special session on energy.

Some Democrats wary

Even some Democrats are getting antsy, fearing the party's stance could hurt them in the fall elections. But Pelosi, who has opposed offshore drilling throughout her two decades in Congress, insists opening new areas to drilling won't lower gas prices in the short term. She believes a vote would only help the GOP blame Democrats for high gas prices.

"I will not ... give the administration an excuse for its failure," Pelosi said at an end-of-session roundtable interview Thursday.

Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/0...

---

Bravo.

"I will not ... give the administration an excuse for its failure," Pelosi said at an end-of-session roundtable interview Thursday.

[TreasonousBastard]

1. I'm confused. I thought...

we're supposed to hate Pelosi because the only important thing is impeachment.

[onehandle]

4. It's early in the thread.

The "real" DUers will show up soon.

[liberal N proud]

2. Glad to see that is held at bay for a while longer

[comtec]

3. One of the FEW useful things she's done since getting the gavel

glad she FINALLY discovered a little bit of cartilage in her back to do this.

give credit where it's due.

As far as impeachment goes, we're pissed off because of all the hell given to Clinton who had N O T H I N G that could be used against him, where CHIMP-boy violates the constitution every day...and we don't even have a special prosecutor, or anything!

THAT is why we're so pissed off at Pelocy. but hey, she did this much at least.

[hopewell1985]

10. pelosi

You need to back off she is doing her best

[dmosh42]

5. Yeah, we can give her a plus for this.....

but the problem is the voters who only see the headlines need to get the message that the oil industry has already been given leases to 68 million acres of offshore land for drilling. Sen. Byron Dorgan(D-ND) explained that he sat on a committee a couple years ago that put out a bill and authorized 8 million more acres in the Gulf that the oil industry said was a sure thing for oil and natural gas. None of it has been touched to date.

[Xenocrates]

8. Did he mention which senate bill this was? (nt)

[dmosh42]

9. No, but I believe he said it was in 2005....

He's on the Senate Committee of energy and resouces, so could be pretty much involved with that.

[Ian David]

6. Well, when it's HER district that's directly effected, she finally does her fucking job.

God, I hate Pelosi.

As Speaker of The House she serves the whole fucking COUNTRY, not just her district.

All that selfish piece of shit Pelosi cares about is getting re-elected by her district.

She's abusing her position as Speaker to serve their needs-- and ONLY their needs-- at the expense of the rest of us.

Yes, she did the right thing-- FOR ONCE-- in this case.

But that just makes the rest of her willful neglect all the more obvious.

[DeepModem Mom]

7. Thank you, Speaker Pelosi! nt

[wvbygod]

11. But why block the vote? Why not have the vote and let it fail?

Would it not be better to just take the time to have the vote and then prove that
nobody wants more oil drilling? It seems silly to prevent the people from holding
a vote. I thought a democracy was the goal here.

[The Stranger]

12. An excellent question, and one that Stephanopolous came back to with her 8 times.

If she is the speaker, why not put it to a vote and shut the Republicans up?

Or is she such a weak speaker, that she may lose?

[raebrek]

14. She must think it will pass. Otherwise why not let the vote n/t

[UNCLE_Rico]

13. How many times did the 'Pukes do this to US before 11/06?

A BUNCH, if I recall correctly.

And how many times did their doing so make headlines?

Rarely.

Kinda like it almost never makes a blip when the Pukes now threaten filibuster, although when WE did it you'd think it signaled an imminent meltdown in our entire system of government based on how the Pukes carried on about it and the coverage it received at the time.

Not to mention the fact that Pelosi ain't doing anything 'brave' here whatsoever. Folks, she just doesn't want a VOTE on it, because then the Dems have to go on record as 'opposing lowering our gas prices'. And that WILL be them meme of that vote according to the MSM, because the Dems are so fricking WEAK at getting their message across on stuff like this.

Not only is there the matter of the 60+ million acres that are already available for lease, that the oil companies have just sat on for years, there is also the fact that all the oil companies can do all the drilling they want and it ain't gonna do JACK SQUAT to help ordinary Americans at the gas pump.

These companies are NOT 'America', they are private entities, out to make PROFITS. Why the hell are 'Murkins so friggin STUPID that they don't understand that letting Exxon have the rights to a bunch of oil is really no different than selling off these fields to Cuba, China, or Russia? Whatever petroleum they extract (5-10 YEARS FROM NOW) is just going to be sold off to the highest bidder. It's NOT LIKE these companies have ANY OBLIGATION to the USA and it's consumers!!??!!

WHY ARE PEOPLE SO FUCKING DUMB?!?