[conservatism_IS_compassion]

the price of gasoline, despite heroic restoration of much of Iraqi prewar petroleum output, is at an all-time high.

Apparently that is the result of the behavior of our friends. When, exactly, will the Strategic Petroleum Reserve likely to be more valuable than it is right now? Why would it be dangerous to use it now?

[reformedliberal]

When, exactly, will the Strategic Petroleum Reserve likely to be more valuable than it is right now? Why would it be dangerous to use it now?

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The SPR will be more valuable when/if the terrorists blow up major oil fields, blockade major bottlenecks in ocean freight routes or take over in Saudi and jack up the price to $140/bbl as they have promised.

It will become more valuable if we have to quickly deploy to somewhere else and need to fuel planes, ships and a major military operation.

It will become more valuable if we have a major terrorist attack on any of the refinery areas/pipelines/oil ports.

If these things happen in the dead of winter, at planting time or at harvest, it will be infinitely more valuable than at other times.

It would be dangerous and foolish to use it now because we would be unable to replace it in less than 2 years and we would be drawing down supplies at the very moment gas is the most restricted.

We do not have a right to the cheapest gas on the planet, but right now we have the cheapest gas in the developed world.

And it isn't that bad. I use propane for heating and hot water. It is at $1.28/gal in Wisconsin as of last week. In the past 2 winters it has occasionally hit $1.65-$1.85. Gasoline here is below $1.80 and available at the discounters for under $1.70. 20+% of that is taxes.