The tiff was started Tuesday by House lawmakers, who sent a letter to the so-called "Gang of Ten" Senators who put forth a bipartisan plan on August 1st.

"We U.S. House Republicans urge you to reconsider your well-intentioned but ill-advised proposal to unleash but a portion of our nation's energy supplies," said the letter from Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Chairman of the Republican Policy Committee.

"The proposal will not increase energy supplies sufficiently enough to provide economically suffering Americans critical, comprehensive relief from high gasoline and natural gas prices," he added.

House Republicans don't like limits imposed on new offshore drilling, which would be expanded only off Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia and in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

They also strongly object to changes which would take away some tax credits for the oil industry.

The main Democrat involved with the Gang of Ten scoffed at such criticism, telling the Hill newspaper that critics must not have read the proposal.

The divide over the bipartisan Senate plan really drives home the point of how difficult it is to broker deals in the Congress on big time issues like energy.

Both of Georgia's Republicans Senators, Saxby Chambliss and Johnny Isakson have taken flak at home for being a part of the negotiations, just as they took flak during early stages of the tug of war in the Congress on immigration reform.

Instead of voters welcoming the idea of both parties working together, a number of Republicans - and Democrats - only want an energy plan that they've devised, not any compromise where each side gets something.

But that doesn't interest many Republicans in the House, as they are knocking the Senate compromise deal.

If a compromise is to be made this election year on energy legislation, it will be made in the Senate most likely, because compromise is much more ingrained in that body, where one Senator can block almost anything.

Republicans also might want to think twice about holding out only for initiatives they support. That's what then-Speaker Newt Gingrich did when he tried to force President Clinton to accept GOP energy plans and GOP tax cutting bills.

When the GOP wouldn't budge and wouldn't compromise, the bills were vetoed - and Clinton won almost everyone of those showdowns.

If you cut a deal and get half a loaf a couple of times, pretty soon you are close to achieving your goals.

We'll see which road both parties take on high oil and gas prices after Labor Day.

Meanwhile, the GOP energy speeches continue on the House floor, though they are clearly drawing less attention from the Capitol Hill press corps. That's obvious from the smaller knot of reporters

It's also obvious as Republicans have gone from holding two news conferences a day to just one, and even that one is getting shorter, with fewer good one-liners as well.