True North

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin sent Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid a letter harshly criticizing the Do-Nothing Senate for blocking real energy reform, which is hurting American families. It's a stinging rebuke, one that's certain to leave a mark. Here's the paragraph where Gov. Palin first lets loose with the heavy artillery:

What will it take for Congress to enact comprehensive energy policy that includes increased domestic production of oil and gas, renewable and alternative energy, and conservation? It seems to us outside the Capitol Beltway that virtually every effort to accomplish this is met with criticism and failure. In my opinion, the debate about energy polilcy is no longer theoretical and abstract. Our failure to enact an energy policy is having real consequences for every American in their daly lives and has begun to affect America's place in the world.

Over the past 80 days, proposals have been table to permit oil exploration and development in the 80 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) which is offlimits to such activity. I strongly support OCS development in Alaska and elsewhere as a necessary component of a sound energy strategy. However, it makes no sense to consider the OCS and to ignore the possibility of exploration and development in highly perspective upland areas, including the coastal plain of ANWR, the most promising unexplored petroleum province in North America.

If Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi want to gift wrap the bigges issue in this election, all they need to do is nothing. The Democrats' mantra has been that you can't drill your way out of this artificial gas crisis. They're entitled to stick with that mantra but it won't help them.

The American people are smart enough to know that we can't alternative and conserve our way out of this crisis.

Americans know that it's the height of stupidity to hold ourselves hostage while gas prices skyrocket. Where's the wisdom in that? Do Democrats think that families care about saving the environment when high gas prices are driving up prices, whether it's on groceries, clothes or any other product?

One thing that's obvious is that Democrats don't think that families will take their frustrations out on Democrats for their inaction. It might not affect them in the Senate but I'll bet a fistful of cash that it'll affect races in the House.

One report I heard from a political staffer earlier this week is that Floridians were upset with politicians on both sides of the aisle for not being willing to open up drilling off their coasts. Now Charlie Crist is believed to have changed his position on the issue, which the pundits think will lead to other Republicans to follow his lead.

If Floridians see Republicans siding with them, that has the potential to change the dynamics of a number of their House races.

The other important question that we've got to ask Americans is whether they're better off now than they were in June, 2006. Let's ask them what things Democrats did to make them more prosperous. Let's ask them what legislation they've passed that's made them more protected from terrorist attacks. Let's ask them if they like the fact that Democrats stubbornly refuse to open up vast oil and natural gas reserves while gas prices and utility bills skyrocket.

simply put, if Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi promise their environmentalist allies that they'll stand in the way of increasing oil exploration, then Republicans have an affirmative obligation to the American people to run Pelosi and Reid and their minions over with a road grader.

If Pelosi and Reid refuse to pave the road to prosperity, then it's time that they became part of the pavement.

Comments welcome at LFR.