"Gang of Ten" RINO backstabbers join Democrats in killing drilli

In a move guaranteed to effectively kill oil exploration and give the Democrats the no growth victory they wanted on energy favored by environmentalist idiots and liberal socialists, 5 "Republican" Senators joined in with 5 Democrats to undermine the Republican House's valiant and courageous efforts to secure sufficient and stable supplies of domestic petroleum resources in order to acquire energy independence and restore the price of gas to an affordable level. Even though about 75% of the American people across the political spectrum, Democrats included, want expanded exploration and domestic energy independence from using our own reserves instead of having to import them at high cost from terrorist sponsoring state who hate us; 5 RINO beltway traitors have ignored the collective will of their own base and stabbed their fellow Republicans squarely in the back as well as severely damaged individual Republican chances for electoral victories in 2008 and even John McCain's Presidential aspirations. ASSHOLES!

By adopting and embracing the argument of the do-nothing but talk Democrats, who offer the same lame double talk and want skyrocketing gas prices as a campaign issue, these RINOs, have just handed the Democrats the Presidency and guaranteed them a veto proof majority. Despite assertions to the contrary, these RINOcrats are allowing the liberal Democrats not only to write the damned legislation but take credit for whatever it does. This is exactly why the Republicans lost the House and the Senate and why as long a RINOs run the damned party, the Republicans will remain a minority party and hard working Americans will continue to be pissed on, pushed around, and treated like dirt by the elite political class which is out of touch and out of their minds. Decades of no-growth, no drill, no-solutions is what we have gotten from Democrat leadership and that's exactly what these selfish rotten bums have just given us once again for which there is no justification whatsoever especially given the dire situation we are in now which is far worse than it was decades ago when liberals and Democrats and now RINOs chose to cripple and handicap domestic oil production, coal mining, nuclear power and our national economic security.

The Wall Street Journal's assessment of this idiocy is outlined below and is being discussed on Rush Limbaugh's show. This is yet another case of needless political suicide based on greed, stupidity, and horribly misguided ideology. Lindsey Graham's name among these turncoats is no surprise since this is the same clueless bastard who pushed for blanket amnesty for illegals and called opponents of this idiocy hateful bigots. I don't live in South Carolina, but if I did, this jackass would be thrown out come next election in a hot minute. Instead of some form of an energy plan, albeit watered down to uselessness, this "bipartisan" pile of crap is nothing more than yet another Washington beltway crafted pork fest that will not only increase taxes to fund it but a new expensive federal bureaucracy to run it. All while the American public goes bankrupt while these sons of bitches play political games. The case for Senatorial term limits has never been greater, almost as great as the case for makeshift gallows and strong ropes.

Politics has its puzzling moments. John McCain and most of the GOP experienced one late last week. That was when five of their own set about dismantling the best issue Republicans have in the upcoming election.

McCain and his party have found -- in energy -- an issue that's working for them. Riding voter discontent over high gas prices, the GOP has made antidrilling Democrats this summer's headlines.

Members of the "Gang of 10" discuss their energy plan, Aug. 1.

Their enthusiasm has given conservative candidates a boost in tough races. And Mr. McCain has pressured Barack Obama into an energy debate, where the Democrat has struggled to explain shifting and confused policy proposals.

Still, it was probably too much to assume every Republican would work out that their side was winning this issue. And so, last Friday, in stumbled Sens. Lindsey Graham, John Thune, Saxby Chambliss, Bob Corker and Johnny Isakson -- alongside five Senate Democrats. This "Gang of 10" announced a "sweeping" and "bipartisan" energy plan to break Washington's energy "stalemate." What they did was throw every vulnerable Democrat, and Mr. Obama, a life preserver.

That's because the plan is a Democratic giveaway. New production on offshore federal lands is left to state legislatures, and then in only four coastal states. The regulatory hurdles are huge. And the bill bars drilling within 50 miles of the coast -- putting off limits some of the most productive areas. Alaska's oil-rich Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is still a no-go.

The highlight is instead $84 billion in tax credits, subsidies and federal handouts for alternative fuels and renewables. The Gang of 10 intends to pay for all this in part by raising taxes on . . . oil companies! The Sierra Club couldn't have penned it better. And so the Republican Five has potentially given antidrilling Democrats the political cover they need to neutralize energy through November.

Sen. Obama was thrilled. He quickly praised the Gang's bipartisan spirit, and warmed up to a possible compromise. Of course, he means removing even the token drilling provisions now in the bill. But he's only too happy for the focus to remain on the Gang's efforts, and in particular on the five Republicans providing his party its fig leaf.

Equally gleeful was Louisiana's Mary Landrieu, the Senate's most vulnerable Democrat. She had been sweating the energy debate, especially after her vote against more oil-shale production -- a position her Republican opponent, John Kennedy, had used against her to great effect. Yet there she was, chummily standing with the Gang of 10 and boasting that she is working with "five Republicans" to "lower prices at the pump by increasing offshore drilling here at home."

Mr. McCain, who had been commanding the energy debate, was left to explain why he, of all people, wasn't more enthusiastic about a "bipartisan" effort on energy, especially one that includes "drilling." His camp was forced to take refuge in taxes, explaining that their boss couldn't sign up for a bill that included more. If this is what Mr. McCain's good friend Lindsey Graham considers "helping," somebody might want to ask him to stop.

And pity poor Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who has been working overtime to stanch GOP losses this fall and head off a filibuster-proof Democratic Senate. His dogged efforts to highlight Democratic opposition to drilling has kept energy in the news and laid the groundwork for GOP candidates to use the issue to their advantage.

In the Colorado Senate race, Democrats had christened former GOP Rep. Bob Schaffer "Big Oil Bob" -- hoping to smear his oil industry career. "Big Oil Bob" has instead embraced his pro-drilling positions and is pummeling opponent Mark Udall for his antidrilling stance. In recent weeks, Mr. Schaffer has erased Mr. Udall's lead. Polls show Republican Sens. Norm Coleman (Minnesota) and John Sununu (New Hampshire) both climbing in the polls on the back of strong energy arguments. As two of the GOP's most vulnerable senators, both might well have run for cover with the Gang of 10. Instead they're fighting on the merits.

The "bipartisan" Republican senators have undercut these efforts, and boosted Ms. Landrieu. They've even put a smile on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's face. He'd been struggling to tamp down the energy debate through November, where he hopes to increase his majority and permanently shelve drilling. He's now counting on the Gang to fruitlessly continue "negotiations" straight through the Senate's short September session and solve his problem for him.

Not one of the five Republicans in the Gang is facing a tough election this year. That's the sort of security that leads to bad decisions. And theirs is the sort of thinking that could leave Republicans in a permanent minority.