President Bush announced today that he is lifting the executive ban on offshore drilling. There is still in place a congressional ban on the practice, so don't expect anything to happen anytime soon.

I also want to respond to this inaninty about the 68 million acres of federal land oil companies are already leasing but aren't drilling on. Democrats -- and their mindless followers -- keep on whining about why the oil companies aren't drilling on any of those lands.

They're not drilling on them for the same reason that they're not drilling in your bathroom -- either there isn't any oil there or it's not economically viable to get it from there. Think about it. Right about now if they found oil in your backyard, would you let them drill? Heck, yes! You could probably build a new home in La Jolla with the revenues from your backyard oil derrick.