Offshore drilling and politicians: dumb and dumber

Off-shore drilling is all the rage this election cycle, and Democrats seem to be struggling to find a decent response. I've scribbled some thoughts over at Political Climate:

Dems haven’t quite gone so far as to back Bush’s barmy plan to open up protected areas of America’s coastline to the oil companies, of course; instead, they’ve rolled out a counter-proposal that would boost oil production in those areas of Alaska already open to drilling. That’s essentially an attempt to shield Democratic lawmakers against charges of obstructionism, while stopping short of endorsing new drilling in protected areas.

Unfortunately, though, it’s a strategy that plays into Republicans’ hands. The Democrats’ Alaskan gambit only makes sense if the root problem is that American oil production is too low. That reinforces the Republican argument that boosting oil production would help alleviate the current energy crisis, and makes it easier for Bush and McCain to argue that greens, in opposing new offshore drilling, are simply putting coastal ecosystems ahead of the wider US economy.

Get the rest here.