It's disappointing�- and baffling, frankly - to see Jim Walsh endorse oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Walsh has been one of the few Republicans in Congress to oppose drilling in ANWR. And since he's not running again, I'd have thought he had the freedom to stick by his principles. But yesterday, he announced that the current "emergency" of high gas prices has convinced him to change his mind.

It's time for this country to grow up. Drilling in ANWR might lessen our dependence on oil from the Middle East, but that's just part of our problem. We need to lower our oil consumption, period.

Instead, Walsh and others want us to find more oil. Auto manufacturers continue to fight higher fuel-efficiency standards. And incredibly, some politicians are still pushing for a gas-tax holiday.

Thomas Friedman's column in today's Times proposes the better idea: "guarantee people a high price of gasoline - forever."

High prices, Friedman notes, are finally forcing us to drive less and buy fuel-efficient cars. That not only helps the environment, but it makes us a more secure country. The supply of oil is not unlimited, and, given the economic growth in China, the demand will increase. It's way past time for the US to adopt a sensible energy policy.