GOP: Environmentalists to blame for gas prices

Though this article is about Missouri's corporatist Congressman Roy Blunt, this talking point is making the rounds in the right-wing spin machine. Fortuntately, the public isn't stupid enough to by this nonsense.

Blunt, a member of the House Energy & Commerce Committee, said, "We did not arrive at this energy crisis overnight; it is a direct result of years of unreasonable, burdensome regulations and obstruction on the part of radical environmentalists.

"The same Democrats who voted against increasing our energy supply, expanding our refining capacity, and exploring alternative sources now have the audacity to point fingers and place blame. Opposing responsible plans to increase our energy supply is reckless, and Americans will pay the price at the pump this summer."

In case you hadn't noticed, the magic word is 'supply.' One of the main accusations, of course, is that drilling in ANWR would solve the problem. Strange, considering that it would take some five years to produce anything and the oil companies have already announced that they would sell the oil in Asia. Oh, and it wouldn't produce enough oil to provide the US with a year's supply.

I suppose there wouldn't be much point in reminding the GOP that oil is a finite resource anyway. As long as those checks from big oil keep coming in-- and they're in office-- they'll fight tooth and nail against a realistic energy policy.