A hard line on Iran = high gas prices. Get used to it.

[LuckyTheDog]

OK, America... do you want to be tough with Iran, or do you want low gas prices? You cannot have both. And, please, don't give me any "drill, baby drill" talk.

Domestic oil production has been growing. The U.S. is still the third-biggest oil producer in the world. But events in the Persian Gulf will have a big impact on world crude prices. There's no getting away from that.

[quinnox]

1. makes sense, and adds another arrow to use for the war mongers

to make their case. "We have to intervene in Iran, look at how high our gas prices have gone. They hate America, and are holding our country hostage with their oil!"

How conveeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeenient.

[LiberalEsto]

2. Didn't someone from Goldman-Sachs say recently

that the high gas prices were due mainly to speculation?

In my opinion, the gas prices are high because of speculation (which also increased food prices last year) and because the oil barons want to make Obama look bad and lower his chances of re-election.

[LuckyTheDog]

3. But the speculation is helped by uncertainty in the Gulf.

It helps the speculators because of concern about supply problems.

[markpkessinger]

8. All of this speculation nonsense could be done away with tomorrow with one simple rule...

... require those who are buying on the oil market to take physical possession of the inventory. That would pretty well limit the buying to legitimate market players.

[Nuclear Unicorn]

4. Remember when wars were fought for cheap gas?

I almost miss those days.

[CanSocDem]

6. Duh....yesterday???

Your government will do ANYTHING for "cheap gas", including killing its' own consumers.

[99Forever]

5. Gasoline is the #1 export..

.. from the USA. Domestic demand is the lowest it has been since 2007. Iran is nothing more than a convenient excuse for Big Oil to gauge consumers. Don't be fooled, they ARE ripping us off. Stop feeding their spin.

[bhikkhu]

7. High production costs = high gas prices

though I suppose it depends on what one considers "high". The price has gone up more than once in the past few years due to saber-rattling in the ME, but it goes up from a relatively high floor of about $70-80 per barrel. The floor is there because of the costs of new oil field development and production.

[rurallib]

9. gas is high to drive Obama out of office

the other stuff is just hype to cover.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

10. Looking "tough" before an election is smart politics but stupid policy.

“The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed (and hence clamorous to be led to safety) by menacing it with an endless series of hobgoblins, all of them imaginary.” H.L. Mencken