Whom the Crime Profits

Will Pitt delivers a deserving smack down to Senator Mary Landrieu, who bolted the Democratic Party to vote on drilling ANWR:

This isn’t the first time Ms. Landrieu has gone sideways on an important vote. She voted in favor of cloture on the ruinous bankruptcy bill, and then voted for the bill itself. In a statement about her ANWR vote, Landrieu said, "My colleagues and I have been encouraged in recent days that a revenue-sharing measure is forthcoming that will benefit our coastal oil- and gas-producing states. Hopefully, we'll be able to get this done this year, just as we have helped Alaska today."

Yeah. Thanks for the help.

Here’s the thing, Mary: Democrats from all across the country contributed to your campaign in 2002. A lot of people worked very hard for you. Your victory was one small bright spot in the debacle that was the 2002 midterm elections, a debacle that included the death of Paul Wellstone, a man whose eyes you could not now meet were he alive today to see how you’ve been voting. A lot of people helped you, and ANWR belonged to all of us. Your betrayal here is epic in its proportions, yet sadly all too common these days.

ANWR is estimated to hold enough oil to supply the US for six months.

Pitt notes that the two Hawaii senators voted in favor of drilling in ANWR too--and he wonders if they'd be just as enthusiastic if provable reserves were found at "Pearl Harbor, or under Pu’uhonuo O Honaunau Historical Park, or under Honokohau Harbor, or right where the water hits the ground at Moanawaiopuna Waterfall." Likewise, I wonder if Landrieu would go along with a proposal to drill the French Quarter for a six month supply if it came to that.