Larry K is absolutely correct.

The scary part is that our government "of the oil people, for the oil people, and by the oil people" is desperately clinging to their doomed hydrocarbon underpinnings of our economy.

Would we really be in Iraq if it had no oil? We are conspicuously NOT in Sudan, Burma, North Korea...

Would we need to be in Iraq if we spent the $4 billion a month on switching to alternative energy sources?

Would we need to be in Saudi Arabia if we did this? Anyone remember why Al Quaeda was first formed? Yup, it was because Islamic fundamentalists were incensed that there were infidel soldiers on holy land so close to Mecca (who were there largely to protect our oil interests!).

It is ALL about oil. Or rather, it is all about energy, and oil happens to be the current drug of choice for us (or is it US?) energy junkies.