FWIW, I think we should deplete the oil reserves from the Middle East before we tap into our stash.
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I agree completely. Tapping the shale oil now will do nothing but drop Saudi sweet crude to back to $30/barrel, making the shale oil/tar sands not economically viable.
If we don't buy the Saudi oil, China will at about a 40% discount, putting us at another economic disadvantage to them.
Not using Mideast oil just prolongs there staying power. The faster we use up their oil, the sooner the leaders in the region (Including the Mullahs in Iran) crumble.
Burn up there oil first.
They will have little or no oil with chemical and nuke devices.