Simulated oil meltdown shows need for hybrid vehicles

On the same day that the Senate overwhelmingly rejected increasing fuel economy, a simulation demonstrated the U.S. economy's extreme vulnerability to oil. Unrest in Nigeria, an Al Qaida attack at Alaska's Port of Valdez, or a Saudi insurgency attack on foreign oil workers, could push the price of oil to $150 a barrel and gas prices to $5.74 per gallon. Former CIA chief James Woolsey called these scenarios "relatively mild". (More on the simulations)

Automakers, especially American automakers, didn't push SUVs and large trucks in the 90's because Americans demanded them, automakers pushed such vehicles because the profits margins were as high as $10,000 or more. In my book, that's just greed.

Hybrid cars can meet the needs of increased fuel economy, without taking away America's demand for choice. Instead of better automotive technology, pork-fed politicians would rather give billions of tax dollars to oil companies to solve America's oil problems.