JC did try to wean the US of of foreign oil, it is one of the things that cost him the election in 1980. The US did not want to deal with this perhaps what we have here is a ostrich feedback loop, Politicians will not try to force the country to change because hey believe it is political suicide, and because there has been little leadership on this issue then the country is not going to make the changes needed,

I do not believe that there is a real awareness on this issue. I believe that people just do not want to know, the reality is too much for the soccer mom and dad crowd.
That is what doomed JC's reelection bid people did not want to hear gloom and doom they wanted it to be morning again on America and for a while perhaps it was but at the expense of so much.

Awareness it seems will only come when it is too late. The days of a cornucopias society are of course limited, the commodities markets are a reflection of this from iron to copper etc et. It took a lot to convince people on global warming, and still some do not believe in it or do not see it as a bad thing, more days at the beach, long term this will screw us but at least there is some awareness of it, however PO is a train wreck that is going to hit soon and the lack of government and media attention is astounding.