By Human Events, Posted: 07/02/2008

President Bush today blamed congressional inaction for rising oil prices and said Americans should pressure their elected representatives to allow more domestic oil drilling.

"We can help alleviate shortages by drilling for oil and gas in our own country, something I've been advocating ever since I've been the president. I've been reminding our people that we can do so in environmentally friendly ways," President Bush said at a Rose Garden press conference. "And yet the Congress, the Democratically controlled Congress now has refused to budge. It makes no sense."

Bush wants Congress to allow drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and lift restrictions to offshore drilling.

"It makes no sense to watch these gasoline prices rise when we know we can help affect the supply of crude oil, which should affect the supply of gasoline," he said. "We have got the opportunity to find more crude oil here at home in environmentally friendly ways and they ought to be writing their Congress people about it."