“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.