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The increased domestic production of oil is largely taking place on private leases the government has been unable to shut down. It has been done in spite of government efforts to slow or stop it. I'm in North Dakota, where there is relatively little Federal Land,and the Bakken boom is going great guns. As an example of the petty slings and arrows thrown at the oil companies here, seven producing companies were taken to court because an extensive survey by Federal agents found a whopping total of 28 dead birds (on some 6000 producing locations).

I'd hazard a guess that windmills account for a far higher toll on birds, but no mention was made of that, even when the Feds were asked.

My guess is that the Dems are trying to raise oil prices, through domestic policy, through interference in North Africa (making Iran a more necessary source for Europe), the Middle East, and interference in central Africa as well. Supporting the Mexican Drug Cartels (Fast and Furious, money laundering by the DEA, etc) only keeps things destabilized there (another source of imported oil), and the blocking of the Keystone Pipeline makes imports from Canada more difficult.

When the (refinery bid) price gets high enough, partly due to domestic policy, and partly due to geopolitical situations this administration has helped create, they will carp about "greedy Big Oil" and push for nationalizing oil production. They have already expressed a desire to do so.

Anyone who is not paying attention to the industry might be fool enough to buy in.

I’m not too worried about this. After this summer of despair, I’m not even sure that anyone will even have the guts to put an Obama sticker on their motor scooter/bicycle. Unless the Republicans screw up in an utterly magnificent, craptacular way (such as nominating someone impossible for independents to vote for), he’s out of there.

If you consider $4.50/gallon gas as the result of a “temporary Democrat re-education tax”, it won’t feel so bad. You actually ARE doing good for your country.