Recently we applauded moves by the GOP in Congress to open a small track of land (Section 1002) in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) for drilling. While we recognized the fact that the oil tapped from the region would only slightly reduce our dependence on foreign oil, we noted that any relief would be beneficial, particularly in the short term as the US transitions to oil alternatives.

Now it seems such applause was premature. The measure was defeated, not by Democrats, but by several Republicans who made it clear they would not support a budget bill that contained the oil drilling provisions. So once again our government has failed us. Once again our leaders in Washington have opted for maintenance of the status quo. Not only have these spineless politicians opted not to take steps to reduce foreign energy dependence, by boosting domestic production of petroleum, but they don’t even offer alternatives.

Perhaps we could sympathize with these politicians if they were promoting the development of petroleum alternatives or offering economic incentives for manufacturers to produce more fuel-efficient vehicles (notice we said incentives, not mandates). These politicians complain at length about spiraling gas prices and unreliable sources of foreign oil. They vilify oil companies, whose profit margins are easily eclipsed by the likes of Microsoft and Apple Computer. But in realty these politicians are all talk. Their words are meaningless. Perhaps they are truly ignorant of economics, perhaps they don’t care, but in reality it’s none of the above. What these politicians are after is political power and they will say and do anything that is politically expedient and boosts their chances for re-election, then and only then can we expect substantive developments from Washington.
http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/front/3451196