GOP Protest Fever Jumps Over to Senate

Firing a warning shot that was heard from coast to coast and border to border, U.S. Senator Jim DeMint, R-SC, circulated a letter in the Senate today that threatens a shut-down of the government unless Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-NV, deletes a provision to continue the ban on oil drilling from the 2009 appropriations bill.

According to a report in The Washington Times, DeMint is one of a growing number of Republicans in the Senate who are catching onto the revolt in the House over the ban on offshore oil drilling, which the Democratic leadership in both chambers vows to continue.

But with 70% of the public supporting offshore oil drilling, DeMint says it is ludicrous that the Democrats would be talking about continuing the ban and raising taxes on gasoline.

The Republicans say that doing something about lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling here at home is so vitally important that they are willing to shut down the government rather than allow the Democrats to continue to block attempts to lift the ban.

At issue is the 2009 budget resolution, which contains the Democrats' provision that the offshore drilling ban continue. DeMint says that he and other GOP Senators will vote to fund the government only if the Democrats drop their offshore oil drilling ban.

Senator DeMint is to be commended for his courageous stand in the face of Congressional obstructionism on the part of the Democrats on the issue of oil drilling here at home.