Turning away from the campaign trail for a second, congressional Democrats have backed off their opposition to lifting the ban on off-shore drilling, handing Republicans -- and by extension John McCain, who's called for more drilling -- a victory. The AP reports:

"If true, this capitulation by Democrats following months of Republican pressure is a big victory for Americans struggling with record gasoline prices," said House GOP leader John Boehner of Ohio. ...

While the House would lift the long-standing drilling moratoriums for both the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, a drilling ban in waters within 125 miles of Florida's western coast would remain in force under a law passed by Congress in 2006 that opened some new areas of the east-central Gulf to drilling.

Of course, this takes the issue of drilling away from the GOP to use against Democrats.