The problem is the disingenuousness surrounding the discussion of energy. We ought to be honest about what is going on here. The left does not want the price of oil to be low. If it is, the impetus to use/develop more expensive alternatives would decline (just as it did in the 1980s and 1990s). The left in Congress have spent the last 25 years careful turning the screws so oil would someday cost so much that we would have to go to alternatives. That day is finally here and they don't want to do anything to screw it up.

On the right, I think there is a genuine desire to use alternatives just so they can give the finger to the middle-east. So, it's more about energy independence than about "green" alternatives. If oil dropped to $25 a barrel, you'd be hard pressed to find a right winger screwing a solar panel to his rooftop.

But, the true goal has to be energy independence. The biggest piece of that is transportation, but none of the pieces should be ignored. This is a grand business opportunity to be the technological leader and we shouldn't miss it. If we do it right, we could be the Saudi Arabia of the next 100 years.