by acquiring the lands under which so much oil lies

I agree; the U.S. government should allow drilling in Alaska, off the coasts, in Colorado, etc without needless restrictions. (It should likewise remove restrictions on oil refining, nuclear power plant creations, and in thousands of other power and finance related businesses.)

But keep in mind, too, that Americans, along with the Brits and French, did pursue the strategy you suggest in the Middle East. Middle Eastern governments abrogated the contracts, expropriated property, etc and Eisenhower did nothing. Sometimes, the market is not enough.

The best strategy for the US is to pursue low international oil prices over the next few years by aggressively expanding domestic oil production.

If the Americans were really intent on surviving and thriving, it seems they would impoverish the Iranian mullahs and the Saudi “princes” by acquiring the lands under which so much oil lies. They would make jobs for themselves doing all the work required to extend and improve the active oil fields and to bring the oil to market. They would placate or neutralize much of the anger they would arouse, by nullifying the power of OPEC and Arab muslims, and by making oil readily and steadily available on the open market.

Any attack from Israel or the US will unite the nation behind the mullahs.

Absurd.

The same people who would reform the government are the ones supporting Iran’s nuclear program.

Then shoot them first.

What’s Iran’s government needs is not ‘reform’ but elimination and replacement with a constitutional republic that respects individual rights, as was forced on Japan after WWII. If there’s any society in the Middle East of which that’s possible, it is Iran. The population is – unlike many others in the region – well educated, modern, and capable of living in the 21st century in a civilized manner.

That will only happen if the U.S. or a U.S.-supported Israel makes it happen by force. But you needn’t worry. There is no hope whatever of the American government having the moral rectitude and far-sightedness to do that any time soon.

In short, we are dealing with a regime that is very concerned about its future

And we should be concerned about that. Wounded animal backed into a corner.

American oil production will not have any impact on global oil prices.lexhamfox on January 5, 2009 at 1:30 PM

Increases in oil production anywhere will have an impact on global oil prices.

Expanding our own oil production would not only hurt the rare three eyed, sabre-toothed, bushy tailed titwillow (which just happens to live everywhere the oil is located), but would also not fit the multicultural narrative that the leftist appeasers would have us take with terrorist nations such as Iran.

Bishop on January 5, 2009 at 12:22 PM

Don’t forget, this animal is indigenous to ANWR and the California and Florida coastal waters. Fortunately is does not reside in Texas.

A short recon of what’s out there that might draw your attention, updated throughout the day…so check back often….

It would be Obama’s golden opportunity. Let’s hope he has the smarts to do it, and deal a mortal blow to worldwide terrorism.

Who’s to say Iran, noted for detailed planning and well executed campaigns, is not chief amongst the ‘Oil Speculators’? The Persians may be Islamic, but they’re not stupid.

The Iranian regime was losing support even when prices were high. The Iranians know they are badly served by their government and will eventually reform their government as long as they are left to their own devices. Any attack from Israel or the US will unite the nation behind the mullahs. The same people who would reform the government are the ones supporting Iran’s nuclear program. They are doing this because of the memories of the Iran Iraq war. The conflict in Gaza right now merely serves to remind them how important a nuclear program is to Iran.

The steep drop in oil prices is probably the worst problem facing the mullahs.

No, the worst problem facing the mullahs is that their evil philosophy is impractical, as evil philosophies always are. It makes their regime inherently unstable and the rulers subject to constant internecine warfare, a never-ending struggle for dominance, which they must battle daily to keep themselves in power.

thuja on January 5, 2009 at 12:43 PM

Bit of an overstatement, I think. Arab regimes want to stay in power over all else and that trumps Israeli hatred which is their straw man to divert attention from their own failures. They know the Iranian octopus will gradually gobble them up if allowed to continue. An obsession with power isn’t restricted to our Democrats.

Bomb baby, Bomb!

However, that’s precisely why the other Arab nations will work to keep prices reasonably low. They may talk Israel, but their eyes are fixed on Iran as the real threat in the region. They do not want a Persian Shi’ite hegemony in the Gulf nor an expensive nuclear-arms race, and Iran’s late aggressiveness with its Hamas and Hezbollah proxies has them worried. They will do their best to quietly starve Iran of its funds and hope the Iranian people do the rest.

Ed still suffers from the beliefs that regimes acting under the influence of Islam are going to act rationally. How much insanity do we need to see from muslims before we give up this naive belief? I believe that the decision makers in the Islam world would gladly poison the water supply of their capital city if it would hurt Israel some way. Iran is just an erratic ally in their world view.

Starving the Iranians of the funds for terrorism doesn’t require bombs or invasions, and it will be much more effective at weakening the mullahcracy enough to foment an organic overthrow by the Iranian people — as well as securing our own economic standing and keeping American capital in America, creating jobs and cutting back sharply on our trade deficit.

This makes too much sense, therefore the Democrats will never go for it!

I predict that Iran will do something desperately stupid sometime in the next 6-12 months if the price of oil continues to stay so low. Or alternatively they will get one of their proxies to stir up some shit somewhere and hope that the price of oil will go as a result due to loss of supply fears because of war in the middle east.

Hey maybe that’s why Hamas decided to unilateraly end the ceasefire with Israel? Its all a ploy by Iran to try and get the price of oil to go up.

Perhaps if Obama waited and became president in 2028 then he might have some basis for his energy policies.

izoneguy on January 5, 2009 at 12:07 PM

Is it too late to get him to defer?

Solar, wind and other alternative sources of energy sound great on paper

When you know what to look for, they don’t look good on paper either. It takes massive propaganda for them to look good.