Pressed To Drill

President Bush lifted the off-shore drilling ban instituted by his father last week, although exploration is still blocked by a congressional ban.   This act, which put pressure on Congress to let the ban expire, led to a significant two day drop off in the price of oil per barrel.  As support for a major loosening of drilling bans increases throughout the country and in Congress, the price of oil continues to drop and the stock market is responding positively.  If the House and Senate were to immediately open ANWR and drop restrictions on the outer continental shelf, oil prices would plunge dramatically, nearly instantaneously.  The increasing possibility of the U.S. getting serious about drilling has lead to an over $20 decrease in the price of crude in the last week, belying the Democrat talking point that increased domestic exploration would not lower prices for ten years.   An immediate and significant drop in oil would mean not just the obvious smaller tabs at the pumps, but would also lead to a remarkable lessening of inflation fears, lower producer and consumer costs, and a much more robust Wall Street, including pensions and 401(k)s.  Which leads to the question: Are the Democrats just beholden to the radical environmentalists, or purposely pursuing policies to damage the economy until after the inauguration of President Obama?