"Madam Speaker, let our people go!"

"Let out people go," entreated Rep Joe Barton (R-Tex.) former chairman of the House Energy and Commerce Committee of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Barton was speaking at a press conference on the fifth day of Republican grandstanding in the House of Representative. Barton and Republican Whip Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), who returned from his district for the event, called on the Democratic leadership to call the House back into session for debate on the American Energy Act, a bill which the Republicans call their "all of the above" energy solution. Minority leader John Boeher (R-Ohio) has called for this "revolt" to last up until the tart of the Democratic National Convention.

The members which included, Representatives Dean Heller (R-Nev.) and Steve Scalise (R-La.) pointed out statements made by Democratic members of the House calling for a vote on energy legislation, particularly to for votes on expanded drilling measures. Blunt said that the group will be sending letters to every member of the Democratic caucus asking that they return from August recess to debate and vote on energy legislation.

The Republicans will get a vote on off shore drilling sooner or later, as the Congressional ban on offshore drilling on the Outer Continental Shelf expires Sept. 30 of 2008. Blunt said that if the ban where to expire on that date "fuel prices will head back down October 1st." Blunt also said that threats of a government shutdown by opposing a continuing resolution were dependent on whether legislation to renew bans on off shore and oil shale drilling are included.

Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) called the Democratic leadership the "very best friend OPEC has in the entire world," accusing House Democrats of funding "both sides" of the war on terror by standing in the way of opening up more U.S. territory for oil exploration.

Senate Republicans: It's economics stupid!

New Mexico Republican Senator Pete Domenici said that the energy bill offered by his state's junior senator is "not a very big solution to a big problem." The reconfigured energy bill, written by Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.) features a component that encouraged energy companies to "use it or lose it," when it comes to lands that are already under lease. "Use it or lose it doesn't mean anything," said Domenici at a press conference with Senate Republican colleagues.

Majority leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has offered little debate on the bill and is not allowing much room for amendments, said Sen. John Thune (R-S.D). Domenici said that their amendments are a good way of "finding more and using less." He cited the Repubicans' strong support for electric cars. Bob Bennett (R-Utah) said that oil shale is not addressed and that other countries, like Brazil, are taking advantage of this technology while oil shale is off limits in Utah and Colorado. He called for "massive" investment to recover oil shale, which he said is equal to 800 billion barrels of recoverable petroleum.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said that speculators represent about 20 percent of the problem when it comes to the current energy prices. He said that he spoke with billionaire Warren Buffet, a prominent U.S. businessman and investor, who told Cornyn that this problem will be solved with the simple law of supply and demand. Cornyn said that the Senate Republicans are dedicated to addressing the problem of supply and demand by drilling for more oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the oil shale of the American West.