http://www.foxnews.com/…

House Democrats responded to President’s Bush’s call for Congress to lift the moratorium on offshore drilling. This was at an on-camera press conference fed back live.

Among other things, the Democrats called for the government to own refineries so it could better control the flow of the oil supply.

They also reasserted that the reason the Appropriations Committee markup (where the vote on the amendment to lift the ban) was cancelled so they could focus on preparing the supplemental Iraq spending bill for tomorrow.

At an off-camera briefing, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD) said the same. And a senior Republican House Appropriations Committee aide adds that “there were multiple reasons for the postponement” including discussion on the supplemental. But the aide said there was the thought that Democrats may wish to avoid a debate today on energy amendments.

Here are the highlights from briefing

Rep. Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), member of the House Appropriations Committee and one of the most-ardent opponents of off-shore drilling

We (the government) should own the refineries. Then we can control how much gets out into the market.

Oh boy. I don’t see this going anywhere but if people are pinched hard enough at the pump they may actually let it happen. Someone recently was telling me how they could see a New Deal part II coming from this current mess. I’m afraid to agree.

http://www.cnn.com/…

Top House Democrats Tuesday proposed a “war surtax” to pay for the war in Iraq, a plan quickly condemned by Republicans and opposed by the House leadership.

The surtax would be “a percentage of your tax bill,” said House Appropriations Committee Chairman Dave Obey, D-Wisconsin. “And if you don’t like the cost, then shut down the war.”

The measure — sponsored by Obey, Rep. Jack Murtha, D-Pennsylvania, and Jim McGovern, D-Massachusetts — would require low- and middle-income taxpayers to add 2 percent to their tax bill, while higher-income taxpayers would add 12 to 15 percent, Obey said.

Isn’t ending the war Congress’ job? Isn’t that why they were given the majority in the legislative branch? Does anyone actually still believe that the D’s foreign policy isn’t the same as the neocons? This anti-intervention, anti-war lip service is most frustrating because the far left like MoveOn.org think the problem is Bush and the Republican neocons. The Democrat neocons are just as bad. The neocon ideology stems from the liberal’s heros like Wilson and FDR.

http://www.reuters.com/…

A campaign by more than 200 U.S. mayors to repeal an amendment they say makes it harder for police to trace illegal firearms between states was dealt a setback in Congress on Thursday.

The House Appropriations Committee voted by 40-26 against removing a provision that dates back to 2003 and imposes confidentiality limits on firearms trace data compiled by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Bloomberg vowed to keep pushing to eliminate the amendment.

“As happens too often in Washington, common sense didn’t carry the day — special interests did,” the mayor said.

Special interests? Yes… it’s called the Constitution of the United States of America and the Bill of Rights. While not explicitly declared in those documents, the right to privacy has been found to be implied in them.