Republicans’ New Favorite Urban Legend

It's not just Sam Graves.

The Myth That Keeps Giving [Wash Post's Capitol Briefing]:

Amid the heated debate over whether to open more U .S. territory for energy exploration, a handful of congressional Republicans continue to repeat a "fact" that was disproven weeks ago -- that China is drilling for oil just off the coast of Florida.

The urban legend has been touted by at least 10 congressional Republicans including Republican Leader John Boehner, Republican Whip Roy Blunt, Michele Bachmann, Virgil Goode, Sam Graves, Mark Kirk, Marilyn Musgrave, George Radanovich, Jean Schmidt, and Tim Walberg.  Congressional challengers Brian Davis (MN-01), John Gard (WI-08), Melissa Hart (PA-04), Kieran Michael Lalor (NY-19), and Luke Puckett (IN-02) have also made the same false claim.

Not surprisingly, these Republicans have taken their cue on this urban legend from none other than Dick Cheney:

The idea that such drilling was occurring gained big media attention when Vice President Cheney said in a speech to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that "oil is being drilled right now 60 miles off the coast of Florida. But we're not doing it, the Chinese are, in cooperation with the Cuban government. Even the communists have figured out that a good answer to high prices is more supply."

Cheney cited as a source a June 5 column by George F. Will, and several other Republicans had repeated the charge by the time Cheney said it. But Will has since corrected his original assertion, saying: "While Cuba has partnered with Chinese companies to drill in the Florida Straits, no Chinese company has been involved in Cuba's oil exploration that close to the United States." Cheney's office has also acknowledged it wasn't true.

But the idea that communist China and Cuba have teamed up to drill oil just off Florida while the U.S. sits out the game has proven to be just too juicy not to repeat.