Drill, Baby, Drill

Obama’s Offshore Drilling Gambit

Win moderate Dems; back GOP into corner.

If President Obama’s plan to open up U.S. shorelines to offshore drilling was supposed to win favor from Republicans for his energy plan, it does not appear to have done the trick: House Minority Leader John Boehner has attacked Obama’s plan for not going far enough, accusing the President of “continu[ing] to defy the will of the American people.” However, Boehner may just be playing into Obama’s hands? Marc Ambinder writes, “[T]he White House is betting that they'll force Republicans into a corner before the public debate begins, they'll give some cover to moderate Democratic members of Congress (who love it when Obama picks a fight with his own base), and they'll get some public cred with Americans who want to see the president moving quickly to find opportunities to create jobs. This isn't about votes in Congress per se, it's about perception, cover and framing the debate. It's also a move that tries to get ahead of rising gas prices.”