House Democrats plan to step up the pressure on President (George W.) Bush over an energy plan "offering no relief" to ease California's power crisis with a television ad that also targets a local Republican congressman.
Republicans blamed the power crisis on California's governor, Gray Davis.
The 30-second spot, which will begin airing on Monday, will be the opening salvo in a month-long campaign "to hold Republicans responsible for their lack of leadership on the energy issue," a Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee spokesman said on Saturday.
The ad, which will air in the Los Angeles area, raps Bush for not imposing temporary caps on wholesale electricity prices in western states. It also targets Rep. Steve Horn, a California Republican, for standing with Bush in opposing temporary price caps.
Bush, a former Texas oilman, has refused to cap wholesale energy prices as a short-term solution to California's skyrocketing electricity rates and rolling blackouts.
Bush warned such a move would backfire by removing the incentive for consumers to cut back on energy use and discouraging firms from building new power plants -- WASHINGTON (Reuters)
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