Real oil or "Snake oil"?

The Washington Post neatly summarizes why environmentalists' claims of drilling offshore as "snake oil" are patently false. They even cover the issue of the existing leases that oil companies hold and supposedly don't use, a frequent talking point of Democrats like John Kerry, and why it is simply untrue. They still oppose drilling in ANWR though, trotting out the "pristine" argument offered by McCain and others, but they never explain how a 2000 acre facility in a region the size of South Carolina will ruin it, or what there is to ruin there. They also don't really address the effect that planning to drill has on the market, especially with all the speculators involved in oil futures. When President Bush announced that he was lifting the executive branch moratorium on offshore oil drilling exploration, oil prices started dropping the very next day. And they have been falling ever since. It is amazing how few people really understand economics. Now if we can only get Nancy Pelosi to allow a vote on this issue, we might truly see some real relief at the pump.