Talk Ain’t Cheap

The United States Congress is a group that likes to talk…

And talk…

AND talk…

I listen. I understand their words. I often ask “What the hell are they saying?!?”

You know that I am from New Jersey. Maybe that’s why my attention is captured when something happens here that has national interest or a Jerseyite is in the news. This week, Senator Frank Lautenberg didn’t disappoint.

There is no doubt that the state of oil prices has put pressure on the Congress. So has the removal of the Presidential order blocking offshore drilling. Since President Bush’s announcement about two weeks ago, the price of crude is down around 16%. Americans are happy that the downward trend has begun, but are anxious to see more improvement.

Speaker Pelosi and Senator Reid are watching their staunch positions erode under pressure by the pro-drilling pols and a ticked-off electorate. The talk seems to be shifting towards (drum roll, please) more talk! Harry Reid has been forced to allow limited debate on the floor of the Senate. I’m not sure that all the Senate talk won’t be shot down by the time it hits the House, but the blather goes on.

Enter senior Senator Lautenberg. With all the erosion of support for offshore bans, our Senator is committed to stand firm like Lot’s wife against offshore drilling:

“I am unalterably opposed to drilling,” said Sen. Frank Lautenberg (D-N.J.), a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, who cited a massive oil spill that closed nearly 100 miles of the Mississippi River last week.

Wow! Nothing gets past Senator Lautenberg. He’s no chicken hawk. No sir.

On the surface, one may say…’yup, he’s right. Let’s not drill.’ There is just one problem with his defense. The spill wasn’t caused by drilling. The spill occurred when a tanker and a fuel oil barge colided, breaching the barge and creating the spill while travelling on the Mississippi River. Now, a week later, the spill is contained and through the combined efforts of the Coast Guard, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and commercial teams and oil seepage has been minimal. Perhaps the Senator was speaking on behalf of supporting a fuel oil transportation ban??

Oh well, the talk inside the beltway goes on. The summer driving season is lackluster. Once the Congress returns from vacation, maybe the talk may shift to replacing the incumbents running for re-election.

Hot Air: Dems Cracking on Oil Exploration
The Hill: Reid plans splits Dems
FoxNews.com: Mississippi River Expected to Fully Reopen to Shipping Traffic After Oil Spill