Fifteen Eighty Four

After chants of “Drill, baby, drill” at the Republican National Convention, a Democratic Congress has changed their attitudes on offshore drilling. From the New York Times:

‘Even more surprising, the turnabout is led by the House speaker, Nancy Pelosi, who has a history of fighting oil drilling going back to the early days of her career in California.

‘Under a measure being assembled for a vote in the House next week, oil rigs could go up 50 miles from the shores of states that welcome drilling and 100 miles off any section of the United States coast — a stark reversal on an issue that has been a Democratic environmental touchstone since the 1980s.’

The Republicans aren’t satisfied with the measure, which they say doesn’t go far enough.

Are the Democrats just caving to pressure? Is drilling really going to solve our energy problems? How long will it even be until the oil starts flowing from these places?

This story brought to you by Where Have all the Liberals Gone? by James Flynn.