Drill, drill, drill!!

This is the mantra that is emanating from John McCain like a broken record. He's stomping his foot in places like South Dakota, insisting that if he's elected President he'll immediately start offshore drilling, onshore drilling, ANWR drilling, all of which will clearly provide immediate relief to the skyrocketing gas prices at the pump.

That this is completely untrue is more than just an annoyance. It would take decades for new offshore oil exploration to provide any tangible results. In the process, irreparable harm could be done to the coastlines. The thing that really makes me angry, though, is that average Americans hear this inane blather, and they believe it. They believe it so strongly, with 63% of Americans favoring new off-shore leases, that even Obama has come off his anti-drilling position, saying now that he'd consider allowing new off-shore oil exploration.

Pandering to public opinion, taking advantage of public delusion, is dirty politics at best. If you still needed any evidence that this campaign season would be business-as-usual, this should be enough. Can the electorate wise up in time for an intelligent dialogue about real solutions to take place before this election?