Today's most important poll number!

CBS News Poll. July 31-Aug. 5, 2008. N=906 registered voters nationwide. MoE ± 3. RV = registered voters
.
"Would you favor allowing increased drilling for oil and natural gas off the U.S. coast, or do you think the costs and risks are too great?"

Favor 64 %
Costs, Risks Too Great 28 %

----
The American people have this one right, and ...
I have to give many in the Democratic Party credit for advocating what they truly believe. That of course is a complete ban on drilling in any new U.S. territory.

I firmly disagree with this because every serious politician supports America importing oil that is recovered from the ground somewhere on earth. For those who truly care about the earth, they must be honest: the U.S. will be the most environmentally friendly in drilling. Many other countries don't even pretend to care about the earth. So the realistic choice comes down to drill there or drill here. By drilling here we increase our leverage in the world by becoming more energy independent. We also will promote a cleaner earth because we would use our technology to do a better job than others. By continuing to buy from and demand others drill more we are increasing our peril both on national security and on the environment.

I am an optimist in terms of our ability to use technology to promote clean-green policies and to undo any damage that has already occurred. So the paramount issues should be national security and control over our economy.

On both counts: drill!