http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/30/30greenwire-oil-spill-silences-once-raucous-drill-baby-dri-28151.htmlBy MIKE SORAGHAN of Greenwire
Published: April 30, 2010
"Drill, baby, drill" is now, "Hush, baby, hush."
The Republican battle cry that crystallized the growing popularity of offshore drilling has dropped from view since the Deepwater Horizon rig sank last week and the well it drilled started shooting crude oil into the Gulf of Mexico.
As Democratic opponents of the oil industry stepped up their attacks and demands for a sharp turn away from drilling, Republican leaders in Congress have slipped out of rapid-response mode and are generally holding their tongues.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has issued at least 11 broadsides at Democrats since the rig sank in 5,000 feet of water. Most dealt with financial regulatory reform. None addressed the rig explosion or spill. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) has focused on jobs and health care in the nearly 20 statements he has issued in the past week without a word about the spill or loss of life, though at his on-camera news conference this week, reporters did not ask him about it.
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Even as criticism of the Obama administration's response has started to surface, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who rarely misses an opportunity to castigate the administration, has said nary a word.
The Republicans' decision to duck in the face of criticism could prove worrisome to its allies in the petroleum industry, who before the spill had gained significant political momentum in Washington for their drive to open up new areas for production.
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http://www.nytimes.com/gwire/2010/04/30/30greenwire-oil-spill-silences-once-raucous-drill-baby-dri-28151.html