Alaska Drilling

NYT House Republican leaders were forced to jettison a plan for oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska on Wednesday night to save a sweeping spending bill

That sounds like Republicans today; throw away a needed part of the country's energy survival for an opportunity to spend more money. Actually it was not quite that bad, because they were trying to save spending cuts, but still why could we not have both.

.... In dropping the drilling plan and a second provision, on coastal exploration, the leadership was trying to win over moderates in the party to enhance the chances of winning initial approval on Thursday of more than $50 billion in spending cuts demanded by House conservatives.

Let us not have drilling OR $50B in spending cuts. Let us instead have drilling AND $150B in spending cuts. And if the moderates can't accept that, then settle for drilling AND $100B in cuts.

But the decision is likely to meet objections from the Senate, where senior lawmakers are insisting on the drilling plan, a priority for President Bush.