But isn't a big part in the increase in oil prices related to the risk factor of getting the oil, since we are either enemies with or at war in most of the major Opec nations? I mean, even non-middle eastern countries like Venezuela hate us. Nobody wants to give us oil cheap, especially since we keep proving that we'll pay a lot for it. We went to war in Iraq thinking gas would go down to 50 cents a gallon, and the opposite happened (a Bush policy backfired? I know, crazy). When we pay for oil now, we pay for the overcharging crony contracts in Iraq. Oil continues making record profits, because they continue to raise prices and we continue to buy it without a second thought. Nobody questions what they do because we have two ex-oil executives in the presidency. I don't see how prices will drop without a dramatic change in course on our part politically.