Inside the Beltway

MARY’S TAKE

When it comes to domestic energy production, Louisiana Sen. Mary L. Landrieu is not your typical Democrat.

Indeed, she’s among a handful of Democrats working with Republicans on decreasing, as she chooses to phrase it, “our dangerous dependency on oil from places in this world that do not share our values and are not friendly, safe places to operate.”

In recent days, Inside the Beltway listened as Mrs. Landrieu took to the Senate floor and argued: “There are benefits to drilling in Alaska. There are not many people there to aggravate. There are only 500,000, and people in Alaska, like people in Louisiana, want to have oil and gas drilling. They believe in using their natural resources, whether it is oil and gas or trees.”

Trees, too?

“We believe in actually cutting a lot of our trees because they grow back,” she said.

NOT A FAN

Libertarian Party presidential nominee and former Georgia Republican Rep. Bob Barr has no intention of ever watching the 2006 blockbuster movie “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan.”

Participating in an Internet chat at The Washington Times last week, Mr. Barr said: “Yes, it’s still true that I haven’t seen the movie. I also hear that he’s making another film so we’re on the lookout to make sure that we don’t get taken again.”

While filming the mock documentary, actor Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat) met with Mr. Barr on Capitol Hill, presenting the congressman with cheese that he said was made from his wife’s breast milk.

“My staff does its best to get as much background information before an interview takes place,” Mr. Barr said. “They did the same for Borat’s interview. They called the numbers provided, found a Web site through a search and felt it was legitimate.

“Clearly, that was not the case,” he added. “While it was in good fun and no harm was done, I’m not a fan of this style of moviemaking, as the terms are not honestly presented to the person or group being interviewed.”

CHRISTIAN CENSORS

New legislation would assure that all military chaplains in every branch of the U.S. armed services, including military academies, would have the prerogative to recite a closing prayer outside of a religious service according to the dictates of the chaplain’s own conscience.

“For Christian chaplains, closing their prayers in the name of Jesus Christ is a fundamental part of their beliefs, and to suppress this form of expression would violate their religious freedom,” says Rep. Walter B. Jones, North Carolina Republican and sponsor of the legislation introduced last week.

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