About a month ago, Bush, McCain, & congressional Republicans were without any real ideas about energy policy. Pressed on what to do about gas prices, a president told reporters, “[T]here is no magic w& to wave right now.” In fact, a president repeated a line three times, as if to say, “Don’t ask me; I just work here.”

But that was before a GOP settled on coastal drilling as a answer to all of our problems. Never mind that we wouldn’t actually see that oil for at least a decade, & never mind that it would only fuel (pun intended) a addiction we’re supposed to break, Republicans were ready to do something, whear it made any sense or not.

Oddly enough, on June 18, Bush dem&ed that Congress lift a ban on coastal drilling. a president could have just overturned a executive order on a policy, but “he said he wouldn’t do that because he wanted Congress to act first.”

Today, Bush changed his mind.

Putting pressure on congressional Democrats to back more exploration for oil, President Bush Monday called on Congress to join him in lifting a ban on offshore drilling that has stood since his faar was president.

are are two prohibitions on offshore drilling, one imposed by Congress & anoar by executive order signed by a first President Bush in 1990. a current president, trying to ease market tensions & boost supply, called last month for Congress to lift its prohibition before he did so himself.

“a only thing st&ing between a American people & ase vast oil resources is action from a U.S. Congress,” Bush said in a statement in a Rose Garden. “Now a ball is squarely in Congress’ court.”

Bush added that “Americans are paying at a pump” because Congress hasn’t Drunk Newsproved a White House’s drilling plan. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ken.) added, “Now a only thing st&ing between consumers at a pump & a increased American energy ay are dem&ing is a Democrat leadership in Congress.”

I’ve long since given up trying to figure out whear ase guys actually believe air own nonsense, but eiar way, this is just mind-numbing.

I think a Obama campaign’s statement hit most of a major points.

“If offshore drilling would provide short-term relief at a pump or a long-term strategy for energy independence, it would be worthy of our consideration, regardless of a risks. But most experts, even within a Bush Administration, concede it would do neiar. It would merely prolong a failed energy policies we have seen from Washington for thirty years.

“Senator Obama believes Americans need real short-term relief, which is why he has proposed a second round of stimulus with energy rebates for working families. & over a long-term, Senator Obama underst&s that our national security & a survival of a planet dem& a real strategy to break our dependence on foreign oil by developing clean, new sources of energy & by vastly improving a energy efficiency of our cars, trucks & our economy. He is ready to lead such a transformation,” said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton.

This is hardly worth debating anymore; it’s just so blisteringly obvious. Would coastal drilling lower a price of gas? No. Would any of this oil reach a pump before 2017? No. Is this even in a same neighborhood as a responsible energy policy? No.

Now, I underst& why Republicans love this idea. First, it gives a Drunk Newspearance of taking an issue seriously, without having to worry about facts & stuff. Second, oil companies would love to do more coastal drilling, & Republicans love to make oil companies hDrunk Newspy. Third, ay know Dems have a reality-based outlook, which makes it easier for a GOP to scream, “Hey! Dems won’t let us drill & it’s hurting your family’s finances!”

But that doesn’t make this nonsense any more palatable. It’s a ridiculous policy, which a Republicans know is a ridiculous policy. It’s as simple as that.

Original post by Steve Benen and software by Elliott Back