[AmishDude]

Oil is fungible. It doesn't matter to whom it is sold.

[holyscroller]

It matters to me! Fungible means interchangeable. What are the Japanese going to give us of like value? Top Ramen noodles? Gonna be tough trying to get the car to run on them.

[Libertina]

Well, I suppose WE can get THEM hooked on OUR oil and threaten them... /s

We may in fact get more money to sell our oil than the price we are paying to import from the Mideast, otherwise it would be ridiculous to sell it. However, in continuing to do business with these dictator governments we support those who are against us. That is not "fungible."

If our highest priority is simply selling anything, anywhere, to any highest bidder, without thought to how the product is used or those whom the dollars support - we might as well give up the pretense of trying to keep a country. Just as liberal journalists see themselves as "citizens as the world" we would be monetary mercenaries. You should remember that there can be extremes of the free market concept just as there are in any other philosophy.