[paleorite]

—Well let’s not drill it just yet. They’re willing to sell their oil, so let’s keep using up their supply. When they’re plumb dry, then we can start drilling ours - and decide whether to sell any to our enemies. —

But as long as we import oil from “Ragastan”, we have to defend the Middle East and our supply lines, and this also pi$$es off the friendly natives their in the process, increasing the risk of terrorism (hidden costs of foreign energy supplies). If we were energy independent we could tell the Middle East to bugger off.

[paleorite]

“there”, not “their”. =/

[LearsFool]

Sometimes it becomes a battle of attrition, and your goal is to cause your enemy to consume his resources more quickly than you consume yours. And it might take a while. But when your enemy offers to sell you some of his ammunition - which you know he has a limited supply of - buy it.

(This was part of Reagan's strategy in waging the Cold War: Obsolete Russia's existing military, and make them consume their treasury trying to keep up with us.)

If it weren't for oil, would the Mideast warrant any greater concern than, say, Cuba? When the oil dries up over there, they can return to their nostalgic and beloved horseback-and-scimitar raiding parties in the sandbox.