[MNJohnnie]

95% of the votes for those filibusters came from Democrats. Why is it the usual suspects on Freeper are always willing to give those Democrats a pass on every issue instead of holding them accountable for their obstructionism?

[meyer]

Nobody's giving the democrats a pass - they're expected to be stupid and they prove it time and again. What's worth arguing is how many republicans argued against drilling in ANWR and off Florida's coast as well. Voinovich? Jeb Bush? Schwarzenegger? And now, given McCain's penchant to capitulate to the environazis, we're sure to see more of the same.

[bray]

Conservative Freepers are intellectually lazy. They hate President Bush so just like Libs they blame everything on him to make themselves feel good.

His energy bills would have eliminated this crisis but for the Senate killing them.

Pray for W and Our Troops

[Kackikat]

BECAUSE FreeRepublic is now made up of a large portion of democrats here to forward their causes, ere it be so deceptively. This is no longer the conservative grassroots forum as it began, but a political tool used to BASH BUSH, the administration and make sure all who can be kept from voting this year to get democrats in, will be kept away from polls through disgust or vote a candidate who cannot win against dems....it is ploy to make FreeRepublic a useless tool in the election, and seems to be working. Ever notice the hundreds of scrolling posts that have nothing to do with politics, breaking news or relevance?
I’ve been a member since before 2000 election, and it has been a bombardment since after 2004 election to increase dissension among republicans and independents to sway this election. To water down this forum, and its working ...WHERE IS THE FIRE to keep Dems out? It’s more complaining, whining, bashing and obstruction of facts than I have ever seen.

[browardchad]

In 2005 and 2006, the House passed bills opening up off-shore drilling. Both bills were eventually defeated by failure to reach a compromise with the House bill due to the restrictions placed on the drilling by the cooperative effort of FL Republican Senator (and former Cabinet member) Mel Martinez and FL Democratic Senator Bill Nelson.

Martinez has always been quite proud of his efforts to block offshore drilling, and has been become the darling of Florida environmentalists. (Jeb Bush opposed drilling up to 2005 and then tried to appear neutral in 2006). When the senate managed to pass an amendment to the (later defeated) 2005 drilling bill that mandated an inventory of the offshore areas, Martinez said the following:

"Why would we inventory an area where we are never going to drill?'' said Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla., who with Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., led the opposition. "The inventory is a huge problem for Florida. It tantalizes pro-drilling interests. It's like saying to pro-drilling states, 'Come and get it.' '' (Source)

This is the sort of politics that led to the 2006 drubbing of Republicans. After that election, a 2007 House drilling bill couldn't even get out of committee. Yes the Dems are awful on this issue, but let's be honest: if it weren't for the efforts of key Republicans like Martinez, we had a good chance of opening up offshore drilling when we had the majority in the house and a slim majority in the Senate.