The real cost of imported oil

Washington Times ^ | 7/23/03 | Milton R. Copulos

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

War critics have made much of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld's recent upward revision of the price tag for maintaining 150,000 U.S. troops in Iraq to around $1 billion a week. That sounds like a lot, but if it results in a more stable region and a reduction in the continuing need to defend Persian Gulf oil, it could prove to be quite a bargain indeed.

[Rodney King]

If these numbers are true, then we need to start looking at Coal gasification. Hitler produced oil out of coal for I believe about 100 dollars(equivalent) per barrel. I think current technology can get it down to around 70 dollars a barrel.

[1066AD]

Allow modern seismic data collection in ANWR, it's basically non-intrusive, and if results justify DRILL.
A simple answer, but of course politics has trumped common sense once again on this issue.
While we're about it, open up the US offshore, if offshore production is OK for the Gulf of Mexico, why can't the rest of the country's OCS join in too ?