by Marc Sandalow, Washington Bureau Chief

Washington – Sen. John Kerry pledged Thursday to lead the fight
against [the Bush administration's] proposal to drill for oil in the Alaska
wilderness, sounding a call to arms for environmentalists to combat the
administration's energy policies.  Kerry said in an interview with The Chronicle, “The American
people did not vote to drill in ANWR.''

Kerry characterized [Bush's] plan for the Arctic National
Wildlife Refuge as a “phony, absolutely fraudulent offering,'' which
vastly overstates the potential to reduce gas prices or the nation's
reliance on foreign oil. He called it the “ideological linchpin'' to a
broader, more reckless environmental policy.  “They need to be called out on it, and I intend to do it,'' Kerry said.

The defiant words from the “losing” Democratic presidential candidate
came
as Republicans in the Senate fashioned a drilling measure which they
hope will be immune to a filibuster. The same measure failed in the
Senate in 2003 after passing in the House. This year, after winning
four new seats in the Senate and [stealing] four more years [of
occupation] for Bush, Republicans are feeling optimistic about the
chances of
legislation to open up about 1.5 million acres of the Alaska wilderness
to drilling.

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