A parallel question ...

Just to follow up ...

There's no question that if it were the goal of the administration to ween us off oil, or even put us into 1 of the 50 comprehensive energy plans we've discussed, that on the rubble at ground zero was the time to do it. He could of gotten anything through congress with those 90%+ ratings. However, that being said I have to ask this ... what does the Middle East look like in 2008 if over the last 7 years their main export goes from vital to unnecessary?

In other words, it is my contention that Bush & co went into Iraq to spread democracy as a vaccine to radical Islam (and he as much as said so in that news conference the other day, "The next president has to understand that the only way to combat our enemies is through liberty") Is is possible as he met with Saudis post 9/11 that they described a Middle East without a world-wide vital export? That what little economic vitality they had for infrastructure, schools, roads, jobs is derived from oil and although far too many oil wealthy Arabs (minusing Iran, they're Persian) help fund terrorism that without that vital resource as a revenue source, THE revenue source, that the the Mid East would descend back into tribes fighting one another over land and the poverty would create another 500 million recruits for a Bin Laden type?

I'm just asking, what does the Middle East look like without the cash cow of oil? This of course assumes that whatever oil "replacement" we came up with is duplicated by all oil consuming countries. And believe me, I am all for saying to the Mid East, "too bad", we have to look out for American interests and that means energy independence, but I think the consideration of what the Middle East will look like if in a single generation their only export ceases to be vital, should be taken into consideration so that we don't get blindsided one morning & wake up to a Middle East that Radical Islam has swept through on a 90% rate due to young men being ripe to recruit from a lack of jobs, schools, infrastructure, and consumer buying power that oil (however inadequately or perverted) provides now.

Just a thought ...