Energy independence most important priority

Here’s an interesting (and very likely) prognostication: Some time in the very near future Iran will be in possession of a nuclear weapon and Israel’s hand will be forced. Strike preemptively or be struck. Either way, the result will be a conflagration in the Middle East that will stop access to oil not just from Iran, but also from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates.

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The result will be a worldwide shortage of oil from which nations like Russia, Mexico and Venezuela will benefit, while the rest of the world finds itself in a catastrophic social and economic tailspin. What is the Obama Administration doing to mitigate the effects of this eventuality? Hmm, let’s see; they are attempting to pass cap and trade legislation, looking to spend trillions on the development of unconventional energy sources, while at the same time prohibiting exploration and drilling for new sources of oil within the United States. There’s no debating that this is a very effective recipe for disaster and it begs the question that if the Obama Administration is so full of “experts” advising the President on world affairs, why is the White House so deaf and blind to this, perhaps America’s greatest Achilles heel? Imagine the consequences of a radically reduced supply of oil in the event of a crisis. America is an oil-based economy with well over 50% of our GDP dependent on oil in one form or another. Our dependence on oil involves everything from agriculture to manufacturing and extends even to the service sector as hotels and food service establishments rely largely on air and automobile travel for their customers. It’s a cinch to surmise that the development of wind or solar power will not make aircraft fly, will not run farm machinery, will not power automobiles, nor will it be helpful in manufacturing plastics. If anything, the development of these alternative forms of energy, while laudable in a long-term context, are a distraction from helping America achieve true energy independence, which is a much more pressing priority. It would be nice if we were not an oil-dependent economy, but so would a visit from the tooth fairy. This vulnerability has been painfully evident since the so-called Arab oil embargoes of the 1970s, the worst of which was in 1979 during the Iranian hostage crisis under the presidency of the hapless and incompetent Jimmy Carter. It was clear then that America was being held hostage by Islamist regimes and could be devastated on a whim by any one oil-exporting Middle Eastern country. During these embargoes, gas was rationed, as in some localities service stations would only serve cars with odd or even-numbered license plates on certain days. Unemployment was over 10% (sound familiar?). The shortage went so far that in 1979 the Carter Administration had gasoline ration coupons printed, albeit they were never used. But what’s really interesting is the steady decline in oil production within the United States, driven largely by restrictions against drilling for environmental reasons. Fat lot of good a clean environment will do as Americans freeze to death during a particularly tough winter. In 1970, the U.S. produced some 10 million bbls. of oil per day from domestic sources. By 2006 that number had dropped to an average of less than 6 million bbls. per day. All the while demand for oil has increased worldwide. Successive administrations, both Republican as well as Democrat, have recognized America’s weak spot and have talked a good line that something needs to be done to allay this vulnerability. Yet none have had the fortitude to challenge the lunatic fringe environmental lobby and do what’s necessary despite the fact that polls have repeatedly shown Americans want energy security. Barack Obama is laboring under the conceit that his silver tongue can save America from another oil shortage, as his Grand Plan seems to include making nice with some of the most oppressive and cruel regimes in the world in the belief that they will change (sound familiar?). But no amount of apologizing and genuflecting by this credulous President will affect America’s energy vulnerability. If anything, it is likely to have the opposite effect as the President’s actions make America look weak. What’s required is a robust and aggressive program of domestic exploration and drilling to break America’s imported “oil addiction” once and for all. But don’t hold your breath so long as the Democrats are in power.