To be blunt, we have a big problem. Our "allies" are very squirmy. UAE is nominally our ally, except they have a huge royal family that is divided. It's even worse in Saudi Arabia. The politics stink. Even though these family members support Bin Laden, politically we can't do anything about them. It doesn't matter if it is Clinton or Bush, we just can not touch them. The one positive that I see the President doing on this issue, is getting our troops out of Saudi Arabia. We still can be blackmailed on oil, but not on needing Saudi soil as a launching point.
That is why we need such a holistic approach to everything. Energy policy is a big part of fighting terrorism. That is why the arctic drilling is so important as well. Hopefully, Kerry implodes, Bush wins in a landslide, and January 2005, we pass a comprehensive energy policy. Until that point, W is going to be as feckless as the sinkmaster, because we simply can not go after these rogue millionaire thugs.