No oil for war
A mailer from Congressman Dan Lungren strays off message. Or does it?
by Bill Forman

Al Eaton was all set to toss Dan Lungren’s letter in the trash when he noticed something that amazed him… While discussing the nation’s dependency on foreign oil, Lungren writes, “I feel quite strongly that as long as we have our military in the Middle East fighting so that we can continue to purchase oil from that region, we have an obligation to find alternatives to foreign oil. It is difficult to justify the death of even one soldier when we are not doing everything in our power to explore options for oil within our country.” But was this really a slip in judgment or a sign that Republican leaders are shifting the rhetoric on Iraq one more time? …Ironically, polls are beginning to suggest the public may be psychologically prepared for a shift in rhetoric from the war on terrorism to a battle for oil…

Full story here.