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Bush lifts his father’s ban on offshore oil drilling....

Just one month after John McCain flip-flopped and called for lifting the ban on offshore oil drilling, President Bush will announce later today that he too will flip-flop and “lift an executive ban on offshore drilling that has stood since his father was president.” Bush and McCain supported the ban when running for president in 2000. The White House says it is trying to get Congress to agree to increase drilling:

But Perino said Bush no longer wants to wait. She pinned blame on the leaders of the Democratic Congress for inaction. ”They haven’t even held a single hearing,” Perino said. ”So we are going to move forward, and hopefully that will spur action by the Congress.”

Asked if Bush’s action alone will lead to more oil drilling, Perino said, “In terms of allowing more exploration to go forward? No, it does not.”

White House officials acknowledge that Bush’s calls for expanded drilling will not “have immediate impact on prices at the pump.”