As gas prices push past $2.00 per gallon, conservatives are wondering why President Bush doesn??¢â???¬â???¢t pay a visit to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) in Alaska to make the case for drilling for oil in that desolate tundra. A graphic TV appearance from the northern Alaskan wastelands could help turn public opinion toward drilling in what liberals have portrayed as a pristine paradise. A Bush visit could also help the weak reelection prospects of GOP Sen. Lisa Murkowski.
ANWR is heating up as an issue on Capitol Hill, forcing even hard-core liberals to start talking about solutions they would not have considered last year. Liberal Sen. Jim Jeffords (I.-Vt.) told HUMAN EVENTS this week, for example, that he might reverse his position and support ANWR drilling.
