DENVER—Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi was almost drowned out by hecklers chanting “Drill Here! Drill Now!” at a press conference on energy independence. Pelosi called for “great leadership” to end America’s dependence on foreign oil through technical development, conservation, and responsible drilling in areas already open.
Pelosi spoke at Union Station in Denver, in front of a hybrid bus with a blue sky and clouds paint job.
The small but loud group of protesters waved official John McCain signs and hand-made “Drill Now” signs. They repeatedly interrupted the congresswoman, who said, smiling, “Drill here? Drill now? Right here? You want to drill right here? Can we drill your brain? What we see here are the handmaidens of big oil.”
The protesters were upset over Pelosi’s opposition to off shore drilling, which many see as a useful approach to tackling rising gas prices. A Rasmussen poll from June found that 67 percent of Americans support off-shore drilling.
Republican presidential candidate John McCain, Republican President George Bush, and an increasingly bipartisan group of politicians are voting in favor of offshore drilling—although it wouldn’t reap any benefits for another decade.
“New drilling has to be part of our energy solution. It will not solve this problem alone. Alternative energy will not solve this problem alone. Conservation will not solve this problem alone. Solving our energy crisis requires an ‘all of the above’ approach,” said McCain, at a recent press event aboard an oil rig.
As the protesters in Denver continued to almost drown her out, Pelosi attacked McCain, saying he had been against drilling in protected areas until June.
“After he changed his position, he raised two million dollars in two weeks from ‘Big Oil,’” said Pelosi, who said she believes the planet is God’s creation and Americans have a moral responsibility to protect it.
