Here's what's fucked up. Canada provides us with oil (much more than the Saudis provide), they allow oil companies to drill on their land, they provide a service for which they make a profit. The oil companies explore for oil, they drill for oil, they transport the oil, they provide many services for which they profit. The government can decide to make more profit for itself simply by providing more yays than nays, and they make more off of the oil than the oil companies could ever dream of. Yet who is it that the libs attack? The oil companies. The oil companies make 10 or 12 cents a gallon, the federal government makes damn near 20, and that's not even counting state and local taxes, yet who is it that the libs blame for high gas prices? The oil companies.

Now that is fucked up.

Because the oil companies can't print their own money, the oil companies have to answer to their shareholders, the oil companies don't spend money like drunken sailors on shore leave, and the have to maintain a profit to stay in business, the government doesn't.

Wow. Energy independence as a national security issue? Good thinking.

Unfortunately for us, you thought of it before the Democratic nominee for President...

Energy Security is National Security
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Remarks of Senator Barack Obama
Governor's Ethanol Coalition
Washington, DC

In this year's State of the Union address, President Bush told us that it was time to get serious about America's addiction to foreign oil. The next day, we found out that his idea didn't sit too well with the Saudi Royal Family. A few hours later, Energy Secretary Bodman backtracked and assured the world that even though the President said he planned to reduce the amount of oil we import from the Middle East, he actually didn't mean that literally.

If there's a single example out there that encapsulates the ability of unstable, undemocratic governments to wield undue influence over America's national security just because of our dependence on oil, this is it.

Now, I could stand up here and give you all plenty of reasons why it's a good idea for this country to move away from an oil-based economy. I could cite studies from scientists and experts and even our own State Department detailing the dangers of global warming - how it can destroy our coastal areas and generate more deadly storms. I could talk forever about the economic consequences of dependence - how it's decimating our auto industry and costing us jobs and emptying our wallets at the pump. And I could talk about the millions of new jobs and entire new industries we could create by transitioning to an alternative-fuel economy.

But all we really need to know about the danger of our oil addiction comes directly from the mouths of our enemies:

"[Oil] is the umbilical cord and lifeline of the crusader community." These are the words of Al Qaeda.
[...]
More than anything else, these comments represent a realization of American weakness shared by the rest of the world. It's a realization that for all of our military might and economic dominance, the Achilles heel of the most powerful country on Earth is the oil we cannot live without.
[...]
Our enemies are fully aware that they can use oil as a weapon against America. And if we don't take this threat as seriously as the bombs they build or the guns they buy, we will be fighting the War on Terror with one hand tied behind our back.

Now, the good news about the President's decision to finally focus on energy independence after five years is that it helps build bipartisan consensus that our reliance on foreign oil is a problem and shows that he understands the potential of renewable fuels to make a difference.

The bad news is that the President's energy policy treats our dependence on oil as more of a nuisance than a serious threat.
[...]
During World War II, we had an entire country working around the clock to produce enough planes and tanks to beat the Axis powers. In the middle of the Cold War, we built a national highway system so we had a quick way to transport military equipment across the country. When we wanted to beat the Russians into space, we poured millions into a national education initiative that graduated thousands of new scientists and engineers.

If we hope to strengthen our security and control our own foreign policy, we can offer no less of a commitment to energy independence.
[...]
Again, this is just not a serious commitment to energy independence. The solutions are too timid - the reforms too small. America's dependence on oil is a major threat to our national security, and the American people deserve a bold commitment that has the full force of their government behind it.
http://obama.senate.gov/speech/060228-energy_security/

Do try to keep up...
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"It's all been satirized for your protection." --Maher