Republicans in the House and Senate are pushing to overturn the ban on expanded offshore drilling for crude oil along America’s ocean shores. As we have sadly come to expect, the Democrats in Congress are showing their soft side, willing to bend to Republican pressure without pushing back to do the right thing.

Let me suggest one tactic they might try.

When it comes to offshore drilling, the Natural Resources Defense Council has this advice:

“Drilling muds and cuttings removed from wells contain toxic metals, including mercury, lead, and cadmium. Each well creates 180,000 gallons of this waste and most of it is dumped untreated into surrounding waters.”

I suggest that the Democrats in Congress work to amend every bill the Republicans offer to legalize the expansion of offshore drilling for oil - offer an amendment to change the authorization for “mercury, lead, cadmium and oil” offshore drilling, and changing the name of the bills to the “Mercury, Lead, Cadmium and Oil Offshore Drilling Act of 2008″.

It’s just to offer a little truth in legislation, you understand.