WASHINGTON — Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn., said his party may risk being tagged as obstructionist by voters if its leaders insist on constantly voting against Democratic proposals on energy.

For the third time in as many weeks on Wednesday, Rep. Wamp crossed party lines by voting in favor of a Democratic bill, which fell a few votes short of the two-thirds majority needed to pass, aimed at curbing oil speculators.

GOP leaders have been adamant in opposing any Democratic measure that does not include oil drilling provisions, but Rep. Wamp said Republicans cannot claim to favor “all of the above” solutions on energy if they don’t acknowledge that some Democratic proposals are sound.

“I separate myself from some of our leadership because I am the one that coined the ‘all of the above’ phrase,” he said. “Frankly, I think my party is starting to hurt our own position because if you’re not going to vote for these Democratic proposals, then you can’t say you’re for all of the above.”

He added that, unlike many in his party, he agrees with Democrats that oil speculators are driving up the cost of gas.

“The (Republican) leadership said speculation is not the problem, but it does lead to the high price of energy, and people know that,” he said.

DAVIS SAYS BOTH SIDES WRONG ON DRILLING

Rep. Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn., also voted for the bill and said both parties need to ratchet down the rhetoric.

Rep. Davis has been a proponent of expanded oil drilling, unlike many in his party, but he said Republicans are too narrowly focused on drilling and are mistaken in stalling Democratic legislation.

“We can’t drill our way out of the situation we’re in,” he said. “We do need to drill where we can, as quickly as we can, as a short-term solution. But it’s impossible to drill forever, so we have to look at alternatives. If we limit the debate to drill or not drill, America’s going to be cheated.”

BREDESEN WARNS MCCAIN ON ADS

Gov. Phil Bredesen said U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., needs to be careful not to make his attacks on U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., seem racially motivated.

In an interview with The Politico, Gov. Bredesen said Tennessee’s 2006 U.S. Senate campaign between Republican Bob Corker and Democrat Harold Ford Jr. showed how race-baiting can backfire.

During that campaign, the Republican National Senatorial Committee aired an ad featuring a white actress saying, “Harold, call me,” after saying she met then-Rep. Ford, who is black, at the Playboy mansion.

Though Sen. Corker, who denounced the ad, eventually won the election, the margin was a closer-than-expected 3 percent.

“The reality of the ad, which I think ought to be a lesson for McCain right now, is that ad helped Harold Ford, absolutely,” Gov. Bredesen said. “There’s all sorts of white swing voters for whom the idea of sending an attractive young — obviously at the beginning of a great career — black man up to Washington is a very attractive prospect. And I think they were offended.”

The governor’s comments were in reference to a new ad by the McCain campaign that calls Sen. Obama a celebrity, interspersing his images with those of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears.

Compiled by Washington correspondent Herman Wang.

E-mail Herman Wang at hwang@timesfreepress.com

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