McCain says "Drill!"

McCain has landed on the "drill now" campaign. It is late but not too late. My suspicion is that he and the Republicans will pound the Dems with this until Nov (and later). If prices stay where they are at, or if they get worse, the Dems will need to do something to address this. Their base is strongly against new drilling will go ballistic if they push drilling, but what can they do?

Americans are outraged that neither party has dealt with this. It hadn't hit the fan because prices had been low for so many years, but that, obviously, is gone. The Republicans own this ground right now and it will take moving polls to change their stance but it is coming. Americans don't want oil derricks at the Grand Canyon, but they cannot understand why only 15% of the US can be drilled. What sense does it make to not be able to drill from 50 to 200 miles out off our shores? They wouldn't be seen from shore and could even be tastefully done like Long Beach, CA that makes them look like Hotels on islands, if ascetics becomes an issue. I want to see alternative fuels but short of some very significant breakthroughs we are stuck with gas and oil for the foreseeable future. Colorado's oil shale and massive coal production (which has become far cleaner) could change things, also.

PS Bush is putting the feet to the fire with Congress in the morning regarding offshore drilling and Gov Crist of Florida is changing his opposition to it. The Dems are in a tough place, trust me. Expect the Blue Dog Dems to really have a tough time towing Pelosi's line. They just might break from her.