He won't take No for an answer....

Unless his brother says it....

WASHINGTON — Blocked by stiff congressional opposition to opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, the Bush administration is moving on its own to promote energy exploration in the icy waters off Alaska.

Government officials are inviting oil companies to bid later this year on the rights to drill in the Beaufort Sea off northern Alaska, an area unaffected by a moratorium on new offshore exploration in much of the rest of the country.

[...]

The Alaskan coast may be one of the best hopes left to President Bush to achieve his goal of developing more domestic energy production.

In response to objections from his brother, Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, the president reduced drilling opportunities in the Gulf of Mexico, and agreed to spend $235 million to cancel unused oil and gas leases elsewhere off Florida's coast and in the Everglades.

Add to that $235 million cancelation penalty, millions of dollars' worth of incentives to encourage bids on the high-risk Alaskan leases.

Yay! Another tax-payer debacle. Bush sells-out, we shell-out!

Complete story here, via Common Dreams.