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stripes1776, Your comment here is totally off-base: But Bush just took the Florida gulf coast out of the picture by caving in to the environmentalists. I don't call that brilliant. I call it cheap politics.

I could link you to information to show you there are 99 leases in the Gulf, still available for drilling. And, link to info to prove there could be drilling in the future on these leases. Or, I could tell you the name of the oil company that still has the right to potentially start drilling in FL over the next 20 years. And, I could tell you why some say the recent action by Gov. Bush and GW did not go far enough, as they did not completely shut the door on drilling in FL. The door is open - but no one has walked through it yet.

Instead of linking to all the above facts, I will just tell you this: IMO, Gov. Bush and GW just made a brilliant political move with respect to FL, because after thinking more about this matter, and reading all these news articles, I predict you will soon see:

GW aggressively move forward to start drilling in Alaska.

I am guessing here, but this is why I think my prediction is right:

What GW and Gov. Bush also did through their joint action was to silence the critics who love to say: GW doesn't care about the environment; and, GW's claim of making decisions based on "local" concerns is bogus. Well, for whatever else they did, GW and Jeb just proved all these critics wrong in a very big way.

Consequently, I believe, you are going to see GW push again for drilling in Alaska, now pointing to FL as irrefutable evidence of what he has said all along (even though he did not give up the right to drill in FL either) -- that: (1) he does care about the nation's environment; (2) he is sensitive to local concerns; and (3) since everyone in Alaska DOES support drilling, we are going to try this again.

Watch what happens in the near future. I bet you this is what will happen: drilling in Alaska.

To give you an idea of how off base the Dems are on Alaska, did you know that Hoffa, the leader of a large union which supported drilling in Alaska, recently told Terry McAuliffe that: 'NO MORE MONEY IS GOING TO THE DEM PARTY FROM THIS UNION.' In fact, Hoffa, believe it or not, has publicly endorsed the following GOP governors: Ohio, NY (Pataki) and FL (Jeb Bush). This is an amazing shift. You can read more about it in Bob Novack's column in today's NY Post.

So, in short, there is a lot more to come with this drilling story. And, while I do not believe FL will be the NEXT place they drill, FL is a place where the USA still can drill -- but, the NEXT place WILL be: Alaska. Watch.

Also, stripes1776, re my above post: What just happened in this FL agreement was that certain sensitive areas, like the Everglades, will no longer be threatened by drilling -- which is smart, since the fed govt and FL gov are together investing millions to restore the Everglades and recover it as a source of water. And, no drilling can place in or near FL's shoreline and beaches in one area. Also, the rights of one private owner to drill have been purchased by the federal govt, and money was paid by the fed govt to settle a lawsuit over drilling the oil companies have long claimed was delayed.

But, protecting the beaches, tourism and the most sensitive areas of FL's environment is also what GW and Gov. Bush just did, and IMO, they were right to do that, since these are valuable resources. However, there can still be drilling in FL, depending on what happens next -- yet, it will not be in certain areas. Nothing wrong with that, because that is a balanced approach. And, I personally think since these changes, and since 9-1,1 there may be a shift in public opinion in FL, that will pave the way for drilling down the road, in the future -- as drilling still can be done in FL, though not everywhere in FL.

GW aggressively move forward to start drilling in Alaska.
Watch what happens in the near future. I bet you this is what will happen: drilling in Alaska.

It ain't gonna happen. All Bush has done is embolden the environmentalists. They got a win from him in Florida, and now they know that all they have to do is never give an inch, and they win. They hate him just as much now as they ever did.