[img_assist|nid=1467|title=U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney|desc=Campaign photo|link=none|align=left|width=177|height=133]A representative of U.S. Rep. Jerry McNerney, (D-Pleasanton) complained Friday that a piece of campaign literature being distributed last week by GOP challenger Dean Andal deliberately lies about the freshman congressman's position on domestic oil exploration.

As part of Andal's recently launched so-called "door knob debate" series of door hangers, a sentence in bold black type says: "Congressman Jerry McNerney opposes any new domestic oil exploration" and attributes the sentence to a June 21 Contra Costa Times article comparing Andal and McNerney's position on President Bush's June 18 call to renew offshore oil drilling.

A careful examination of reporter Lisa Vorderbrueggen's story reveals this sentence in the 12th paragraph: "McNerney opposes the oil policies the president outlined last week (June 18.)" It is the only sentence in her story to come close to what the door hanger says about the congressman's position on the issue.

During that speech the President urged the resumption of drilling offshore and in Alaska, such as in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. Bush also encouraged the extraction of oil from shale deposits -- an ecologically controversial, water-intensive technique.

Andy Stone, a spokesman for McNerney, says his boss does indeed oppose the president's new suggestions to drill offshore and in ecologically sensitive areas such as those found in Alaska. However, he has consistently urged oil companies to explore and drill on the millions of leased land tracts they already have in their possession.

"Dean Andal's wrong and he probably should have checked the facts on this one first," said Stone who added that he is demanding a retraction from the Stockton Republican. "All he had to do was open the paper or listen to the radio to figure out where Congressman McNerney stands."

Stone punctuated his position by sending PolitickerCA.com a snippet of audio tape from June 18 interview the congressman participated in on San Francisco's KGO-AM 810 radio.

"(There are) tens of millions of (acres) under lease (by the oil companies)," McNerney told KGO on June 18. "I'm encouraging them to drill right now."

Richard Temple, a spokesman for Andal, says it's the McNerney campaign that's not being honest with the voters of the California 11th Congressional District.

"McNerney's argument is a political smokescreen designed to cover up his position against any new oil exploration. There is nothing new about existing leases. This is a national crisis and it is irresponsible to put our nation at risk by depending on getting oil only from existing leases, because many of those leases will not result in more oil," Temple said in a statement. "Dean (Andal) believes we must conduct new oil exploration in addition to anything under existing leases. And that is a position Jerry McNerney refuses to support."