Analogy: America’s dependence on oil is like a smoker’s dependence on nicotine. If the smoker has a few cases in the basement but the basement is boarded up, and the smoker is running low on cash for cigs, there are two choices: chop baby chop, or quit.

Both will alleviate the cash flow shortage. Only one is a long term solution. Drilling will in fact lessen our dependence on foreign oil, for a time.

If quitting cold turkey is too painful, we just might manage our addiction by building a slew of wind, solar, and nuclear installations while running through what’s left of our domestic reserves of oil. In that context, drilling could be part of the answer. But only if we let the contracts for those other things before we open the drilling leases. The smoker has to commit himself beyond easy retreat in order to stand a chance.