US oil consumption feeds Islamic extremism

Newsweek columnist Fareed Zakaria reminds us in his latest column that while the US may not have much control over the price of crude oil, we need not strive to be the most obese consumer of it. Adding to that, at a time when we are trying to quell the rise in Islamic extremism, perhaps we ought to consider policies that curb the amount of money that we contribute to some of these countries through our use of oil.

"Over the last three decades, Islamic extremism and violence have been funded from two countries, Saudi Arabia and Iran, not coincidentally the world's first and second largest oil exporters. Both countries are now awash in money and, no matter what the controls, some of this cash is surely getting to unsavory groups and individuals."

Andrew Sullivan adds his take on Zakaria's column at Daily Dish:

"Fareed writes that 54 percent of today's U.S. fleet of cars are made up by these ugly, behemoth tanks that guzzle gas, and make life miserable for everyone not in them. My anti-SUV ire always goes up in the summer, when I see these vast, bloated symbols of excess bulldozing down the narrow streets of Provincetown, pushing every bicyclist, pedestrian or small child out of their way. My only solace is thinking of how many of these SUV owners are pouring money away to keep their mobile homes on the road. Pity that same money goes to finance Islamist terror."

Unfortunately, many people want to have their cake and eat it too. The recent energy bill passed by Congress does nothing to raise fuel efficiency standards at a time when gas prices are rising rapidly.