Hang on - there will be a day in the near future when you'll r
eminisce about the good old days when gas was $3.50/gal. A major factor (if not the main factor) globally is the fact emerging countries are requiring more and more oil. Some countries like China are willing to pay extravagant prices to keep their economies going. Basically, it will be a bidding war. As the Americans lose this battle, prices in the US will skyrocket and industry will grind to a halt. When all our vehicles stop someone will suggest a national transportation or a national electrical power system but it will be to late then. We will pay for our failure to look to the future.
You can not have economies such as India and China growing at exponential rates and not have a comprehensive policy to deal with such powers. The Iraq war is just a drop in the bucket.
Bend over and smile wide