Congress set to adjourn on Sept. 26 despite soaring energy prices and financial turmoil

Two weeks ago a Republican congressman at the Republican National Convention told me that both houses of Congress will adjourn on September 26--so members can hit the campaign trail. Two years ago, when the Republicans ran Capitol Hill, Congress skedaddled--and look where it got them the GOP--minority status.

Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) and Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) have run the Senate and the House of Representatives since January, 2007, and in the words of John McCain, support for Congress is "down to blood relatives and paid staffers."

Last week, gasoline prices began their unwelcome march over the $4-a-gallon barrier--again. What is Congress doing?

According to Senate sources (Yes, I have them) not much. At issue on the Hill is the current ban on drilling for oil on Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), which is set to expire on October 1. Republican members of Congress, and my guess is quite a few Democrats as well, support letting the ban expire.

Overwhelmingly, the American people, even those living near possible drilling areas, want the ban lifted. Pelosi and Reid know this. Will they listen to the people? Or to the special interests that prefer high gasoline prices, such as enviromentalists and the alternative fuel industries?

Although the economy is not in a recession, and yes, it is fundamentally strong, American voters are justifiably concerned about recent developments, bad ones, on Wall Street.

But Congress, controlled by Democrats, appears poised to hit the campaign circuit in eleven days, and return to Washington, maybe, after Election Day for a lame-duck session.

If you want to write your congressman, today is the day. Because unless Reid and Pelosi change their minds, nothing of importance will happen on Capitol Hill until January.

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