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Congress Short on Gas, Long on Gasbags

Capitol Hill can't do much but talk—but man, is it talking

By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff

Posted Jun 26, 2008 9:39 AM CDT

(Newser) – There’s nothing much Congress can do about gas prices, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, so in an effort to look busy it's doing what it always does—blaming the other party. Yesterday Capital Hill saw no less than 12 events on energy costs, and every last one came down to partisan jabs.

In one conference room, John Kerry is decrying the Bush administration's “toothless, feckless” regulators, while in a nearby building, Mitch McConnell is ripping Democrats for waiting for alternative energy. “Americans have cars and require gasoline today—today!” he thunders. Late in the day, one rep hits on a solution: Noting all the “hot air and wind” in Congress, he asks “if we could harvest all of this.”

A gasoline tanker truck exits a loading station at a petroleum terminal, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 in Philadelphia.
A gasoline tanker truck exits a loading station at a petroleum terminal, Tuesday, June 10, 2008 in Philadelphia.   (AP Photo/Tom Mihalek)
High gas prices are posted at a Shell gas station, left, and a Valero gas station, right, in San Bruno, Calif., Monday, June 23, 2008.
High gas prices are posted at a Shell gas station, left, and a Valero gas station, right, in San Bruno, Calif., Monday, June 23, 2008.   (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma)
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2008.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif. speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, June 25, 2008.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer speaks on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 25, 2008. From left are, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.
House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer speaks on Capitol Hill, Wednesday, June 25, 2008. From left are, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of Calif., Rep. John Larson, D-Conn., Rep. Rahm Emanuel, D-Ill.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Steve Smith of the Wilderness Society, left, Jim Hansen, representing Oil Shale Exploration, foreground, and Terry O'Connor, Shell Exploration, rear, testify on Capitol Hill, May 15, 2008.
Steve Smith of the Wilderness Society, left, Jim Hansen, representing Oil Shale Exploration, foreground, and Terry O'Connor, Shell Exploration, rear, testify on Capitol Hill, May 15, 2008.   (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
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