Drill Here, Drill Now!
July 19th, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Without much else to run on this election cycle, the Republicans here at the conservative blogger summit are really pounding hard on the whole “Drill Here, Drill Now” business. Congressman John Carter (R-Round Rock) apparently takes the slogan literally. “I believe there’s oil under the ground right here,” he practically shouted during the general session this morning. “I believe we ought to slam-drill right under this hotel!”
Most of the speakers perfunctorily touched on the benefits of renewable power, but then quickly moved on to the charms of drilling ANWR, the outer-continental shelf, the Barnett Shale in urban Tarrant County, etc. It felt like a pep rally for oil. Railroad Commissioner Elizabeth Ames Jones talked up the exciting new oil extraction technologies (horizontal drilling!) while Michael Williams — who’s a pretty good speaker, but looks like he practices in the mirror a tad too much — promised that weaning ourselves off crude is still “way down the road.” Former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele made it as snappy as possible: “If you want real change, it’s real simple: drill, baby, drill.”
The speakers — natch — blamed Democrats for standing in the way. Rep. Carter warned ominously that “at least five times in the last month and a half” Democrats have said that “we need to nationalize and take over and seize the oil and gas industry in the United States.” He went on: “That ought to scare the pants off you. They have an agenda to change the world we live in, and that agenda is fierce and it’s frightening.”
Four-dollar-a-gallon gas and fear — is that a winning strategy for Republicans this year?
July 19th, 2008 at 4:02 pm
The term is “slant drill” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slant_drilling), not “slam drill”.
July 19th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
The question is whether Mr. Wilder or Rep. Carter confused the term….
July 20th, 2008 at 10:09 am
Oh no, it’s slam drill, all right.
July 24th, 2008 at 1:13 pm
America’s infrastructure is based on oil. All the trucks, planes, trains, ships, that deliver all goods to market run on oil. All automobiles, as well as all the gas stations across America run on oil. All petroleum based products, run on oil. Although alternative fuels most definitely should be developed, in the mean time America must have oil to keep our economy from screeching to a halt. In addition, our national security requires energy independence ASAP, so that we are not transferring all our wealth to foreign countries who do not like us, and who can cripple us by turning off the spigot, disrupting oil transport to us, or arbitrary oil price hikes. These are all reasons why we must be drilling for more oil right now and right here in the U.S.A. … ASAP. Nancy Pelosi and her cronies stubborn commitment to petty party politics, instead of realistic concern over our national interest, even in the face of 76% of Americans who want off shore drilling now, will end up in bringing America to its knees.