The problem, as I understand it, is that marginal production costs in the middle east are very, very low, at most only a few dollars a barrel. It would take enormous capital to recover this oil and that investment could all be wiped out if OPEC lowered their prices below $30 barrel (or whatever). Mobil lost something like five billion dollars developing this technology, only to see the price of oil collapse in the 80's.
I think taxing petroleum with a "security tax" that simply reflected the huge cost of maintaining a U.S. military presence in the Gulf would go a long way to leveling the playing field.
OK, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman, you like U.S. protection, pay up or we'll make our own oil.
I think what you do is to threaten doing it........you have a deal where the country is backing the tar sands extraction facility....only you just use smoke and mirrors like a chunk of SDI was smoke and mirrors....and they lower the prices again....and that was one of the scenerios that Limbaugh mentioned....