Reply #3: Something up their collective sleeves

[WhereThereIsFire]

I doubt the ANWR issue is over for the longterm, but maybe for the short term ... i.e. until after the 2006 elections. There is a lot of fear in congress now about how voters may choose to punish them at the polls. This is one of the hot button topics. Here's CNN's important paragraph on the vote today:

"Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist for procedural reasons cast a vote with ANWR opponents, so that he might be able to resurrect the issue for another try. But Democrats said they expected the defense bill to be withdrawn and reworked without the Arctic refuge provision."

and the link to their full story:

http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/12/21/arctic.drilling.ap/index.html

I'd expect this issue to be raised again in 2007 if the Rebooblicans retain control of congress. Raiding ANWR is definately one of bush's dreams.