Something nobody here has mentioned is that BP had BIG problems with the Alaska pipeline and had intermittent shutdowns on thier largest field to fix the pipe. Prices soared higher artificially on speculation. This was only a couple months after katrina when the problems begain...they hit full newsworthyness in June of this year. Originally, it was to take 6 months to repair, but, after only 3, they are back to full capacity. The speculators leave the market and you get a more representative price.
If you look at the Middle East situation, iraq may hate us (for occupying them), but the Saudis, UAE, Qatar (the worst human rights violators in the world today), and even Afghanistan are all deep into our pockets.
Does the White House control gas prices? No. Absolutely not. Do they send aid and protection to all the countries that supply us oil? Hmmmm. You bet they do. I'll leave it to you to draw the lines, but Condoleeza Rice has spent a lot of time in OPEC nations, lately.
And, someone here already wrote it, but if we standardized the gas formulation or at least streamlined it, we would see an immediate decrease in price. Not because one is worth more than another, but production and distribution become a bulk process with inherent efficiencies in cost. But, our impotent polititcians (from both wings) could care less because nobody in big oil is lining their pockets to change. Record profits ensure that nobody producing, refining or selling any petrolium product is going to do any changing for the near future.
As for American consumers, there is a stat from a show called Autoline Detroit that shows September-October sales of Hybrids have fallen precipitously...8%! Large trucks and SUV sales have increased in the same period by 4% to estimates and 10% over last year in the same period. We have short memories as oil consumers and THAT will ultimately drive prices up again. My prediction, a national average that will seldom drop below 2.60 per gallon regular beginning next summer.
