Now that the Democrats in the House have changed their minds in the face of what Nancy Pelosi called “the political climate,” they’ve passed a bill that allows drilling 50 miles offshore, which will now make its way to the Senate.

It was only a few weeks ago that “Ms. Pelosi was adamant that she would not clear the way for a House vote on new coastal exploration,” however increased Republican pressure and the whole expensive gas thing has made many Democrats, Pelosi included, attempt to reach a compromise.   As Pelosi said, if we don’t have something in the bill, it’s drilling three miles offshore.   The issue of offshore drilling is, says The New York Times, “an issue that has been a Democratic environmental touchstone since the 1980s.”

The bill passed the House 236-189, and allows drilling if states adjacent to the water approve of it.   Now it comes to the Senate, which, according to the Associated Press, “has no intention of going as far as the House in expanding offshore oil and gas drilling beyond the western Gulf of Mexico.”  The Senate may open drilling in the Southern Atlantic (Virginia, Georgia, the like), but seem disinclined to go to the Pacific or Alaska.

In the Senate, it is likely any bill proposed will face a filibuster from either side, and with the near 50-50 split it may be impossible to raise the 60 votes needed to shoot it down.   Basically, we’re unsure what the Senate’s version of the bill will look like.

So, if you’re a Democrat, what do you think?  Are you angry at the House Dems doing the politically expedient thing and giving up on principles?  Or are you happy that they are going along with the plan to keep the masses happy, while they might full well know the Senate won’t let the bill pass?  It’s interesting to throw in here that “President Bush, who has called for ending the offshore drilling bans, signaled he would veto the legislation if it reached his desk, arguing that it would stifle offshore oil development instead of increasing it.”  So are you happy that an energy bill that allows offshore drilling is still too liberal for Bush?

And, if you’re a Republican, are you happy that a bill at least got through the House that overturns some of the fundamental principles Democrats claim to stand on?  Are you expecting the Senate to mold the bill into something more atune to your liking?  Take this quote from House Leader John Boehner:

How much new drilling do we get out of this bill? It’s zero. Just zero. It’s a hoax on the American people. This is intended for one reason … so the Democrats can say we voted on energy.”

Are you angry that the Democrats are playing politics with something as important as energy, and thus international policy?

And here we come to what we all knew all along: a good compromise is one that leaves nobody happy.   Anyhow, takepart to learn more about the specifics of what offshore drilling is and how it works.