Very interesting article, and a sign of things to come.  In the not too distant future, it's going to be politically expedient to blame high oil prices on OPEC. After all, if they have unlimited supplies and will not increase production, it will be easy to convince people that OPEC means US harm.  If the only outcome is that we improve efficiency,  reduce consumption, and develop substitutes; well and good. I suspect though, that when those measures prove inadequate, more scary options will become tempting.