FORMER GOV. Jeanne Shaheen opposes lowering oil prices by the only method known to actually work: increasing supply. Instead, she wants to encourage more windmills, solar panels and wood-burning power plants. Because, of course, everybody knows that we make gas from wind, sunshine and wood.

Shaheen criticized Sen. John Sununu this week for voting to allow oil drilling offshore and in a tiny portion of the Alaska National Widlife Refuge. "Instead of more drilling, we should stop giving the oil companies 13 billion dollars in tax breaks and invest that money in the development of renewable energy sources like solar, wind and wood by-products," she said.

She also advocated that Washington forbid oil from being traded on Wall Street, "demand" that oil companies increase production, and "pressure" OPEC to boost output.

Meanwhile, in the real world, Sen. Sununu voted to increase the domestic supply of oil, halt shipments to the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (Shaheen supports this) and increase funding for alternative fuel research.

Imagine that. A senator who seeks to lower the price of something by increasing its supply instead of keeping supply tight and issuing more edicts from Washington. Who'd have thunk it?