George Soros-- we need more foreign influence in the United States.

[devilsadvocate]

Do you think we should have bases on foreign land? Do you think we should be interfering with foreign politics, elections etc. Should we be supporting one country over another or remain neutral?

We treat international issues on what's best for America, do you think other countries should be looking out for American interests over their own?

If the middle east suddenly put an embargo on oil what should we do?

Now to answer your questions...

Should we have bases on foreign land? No. I support pulling our troops out of all bases throughout the world and bringing them home to the U.S., and downsizing the military to a merely defensive force. I would use them to defend the northern and southern borders, and secure the seaports and shipping lanes around the U.S.

Do you think we should be interfering with foreign politics, elections etc.? No. We have no business spreading "democracy" throughout the world. We need to mind our own business and start focusing on our own affairs.
So you are mostly with Soros on this, instead of interfering and imposing we should leave them to it, while Soros thinks we should be asking them if they actually want us interfering or imposing (1 for 1)
Should we be supporting one country over another or remain neutral? We should start becoming neutral. And this includes our support for Israel-- it needs to come to an end. This is one area that I have flip-flopped on and now I disagree with Beck and all the other conservative talk show hosts on this issue. We need to get out of the middle east entirely, and that means cutting off all support for Israel as well.

So you close to Soros on this, instead of interfering, imposing and taking sides we should be listening neutrally to both sides(2 for 2)

We treat international issues on what's best for America, do you think other countries should be looking out for American interests over their own? Do we really treat international issues on what's best for America? I don't think we do. Why do we have such a huge trade deficit? And no, we can't expect other countries to be looking out for American interests over their own. But then, we need to start doing what is best for our own country and stop trying to be the world's policeman and friend and humanitarian, as well.
Trade agreement and foreign policy aren't really the same thing. I'll give you a disagree on this because Soros has used financial clout to promote democracy in other nations, however he is not a country and the topic is about how he thinks the USA should participate in world affairs. He does seem to have a rather hypocritical stance in this respect (2 for 3)
If the middle east suddenly put an embargo on oil what should we do? We need to start getting off of foreign oil so that it would not matter if that happened. I watched a recent 60 Minutes (CBS) episode where they said we have enough natural gas in the United States mainland (not offshore) to last for generations. Some of the ranch machinery and trucks in my family's business already run on natural gas. If the United States would convert our cars to run on natural gas (as well as using electric vehicles, etc.), we wouldn't need foreign oil anymore.

This last isn't really about Soros, it's just to discover you views on what we should do if we suddenly had our main energy supply cut off. The answer you gave was very evasive and a textbook answer any generic politician would give if asked for specifics.

The problem with your answer, as good an idea as it may sound, is that it's an idea, not a reality. (I guess in the circles you reside in you are a commie)

So to avoid any confusion I'll ask more specifically-

If the middle east put an embargo on oil TODAY with the cars, planes trains ships, power stations and infrastructure we have TODAY, what should we do?

[MagicNakor]

While the US does import oil from the Middle East, it imports far more from other sources.

Crude Oil Imports (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)
Country Sep-10 Aug-10 YTD 2010 Sep-09 YTD 2009
CANADA 1,936 1,933 1,976 1,938 1,926
NIGERIA 1,107 942 1,021 886 720
MEXICO 1,098 1,158 1,116 1,124 1,119
SAUDI ARABIA 1,082 1,080 1,072 1,031 1,013
VENEZUELA 919 974 928 1,014 998
IRAQ 422 281 462 428 456
ANGOLA 404 472 409 401 475
ALGERIA 366 374 333 433 276
COLOMBIA 308 346 328 285 259
RUSSIA 236 334 289 163 252
ECUADOR 229 236 196 147 196
BRAZIL 177 249 269 262 326
KUWAIT 172 251 204 246 179
GABON 71 74 46 32 72
UNITED KINGDOM 70 121 138 117 111

Total Imports of Petroleum (Top 15 Countries)
(Thousand Barrels per Day)
Country Sep-10 Aug-10 YTD 2010 Sep-09 YTD 2009
CANADA 2,475 2,483 2,535 2,358 2,456
MEXICO 1,256 1,282 1,253 1,271 1,233
NIGERIA 1,174 985 1,056 912 759
SAUDI ARABIA 1,093 1,132 1,086 1,045 1,042
VENEZUELA 1,008 1,022 1,006 1,146 1,120
RUSSIA 648 786 623 486 620
ALGERIA 543 565 508 655 498
IRAQ 422 281 462 428 458
ANGOLA 417 484 419 414 485
COLOMBIA 363 372 360 301 284
VIRGIN ISLANDS 302 339 262 280 291
ECUADOR 229 242 198 153 200
BRAZIL 181 251 287 268 343
UNITED KINGDOM 178 266 277 295 252
KUWAIT 172 251 206 246 182

Note: The data in the tables above exclude oil imports into the U.S. territories.

http://www.eia.doe.gov/pub/oil_gas/p...nt/import.html

For purposes of this thought-experiment: It would hurt a little (mostly pride), but would hardly be catastrophic (in terms of energy supply).

If the idea is for more of a Fortress America, all energy trade routes are blockaded and military response isn't an option.

[devilsadvocate]

While the US does import oil from the Middle East, it imports far more from other sources.

You are correct, about imports, however even if it were just the middle eastern Arabian countries we would be hit very hard. Desert storm wasn't about freedom. We would either have to pressure other countries to take up the slack or face shortages and economically crippling price hikes. I deliberately didn't say all countries embargo. The scenario is about noticable reduced supply.

But if it makes a difference 9 could also answer if we make it that all the countries we have interfered with placed an embargo.

Fuel is the USA's Achilles heal

[clocker]

The US sphere of influence is dramatically shrinking.
The question is not whether foreign concerns should be allowed to influence US politics, the question is "Why should they care"?

[999969999]

[QUOTE=devilsadvocate;3535732]

So to avoid any confusion I'll ask more specifically-

If the middle east put an embargo on oil TODAY with the cars, planes trains ships, power stations and infrastructure we have TODAY, what should we do?

If it happened TODAY we would be screwed. We would have to rely on reserves and ration it.

But here is what I was mentioning as a more long term solution:

"(CBS) Natural gas has always been the ugly stepchild of our national energy debate, never enjoying the political muscle of oil and coal, and never capturing the imagination like solar panels and wind farms. And to top it all off, it was in short supply.

But that is changing, and now this stepchild is being touted as the hope of the future - the answer to our energy problems.

What has brought about the change is there is a new unconventional process for extracting natural gas from shale, a dense rock formation two miles underground. And if you're sitting on top of it, you may become a new American phenomenon: a "shaleionaire."

And yet, if the BP spill taught us anything, it's that exploring for energy has safety risks. But that can get lost in all the excitement.

What is increasingly evident is that shale gas is overwhelmingly abundant right here in the U.S.A.

Shale Gas Drilling: Pros & Cons
Extra: Meet The "Shaleionaires"
Extra: Gas Drilling Horror Story
Link: Haynesville Shale

"In the last few years, we've discovered the equivalent of two Saudi Arabias of oil in the form of natural gas in the United States. Not one, but two," Aubrey McClendon, the CEO of Chesapeake Energy, told "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl.

"Wait, we have twice as much natural gas in this country, is that what you're saying, than they have oil in Saudi Arabia?" Stahl asked.

"I'm trying to very clearly say exactly that," he replied.

Chesapeake Energy is the largest independent gas producer in the country. McClendon is on a mission to get the U.S. off foreign oil and dirty coal.

Gas has nearly half the carbon emissions of coal, and no mercury.

"But natural gas is still a fossil fuel," Stahl pointed out.

"So is it perfect? No," McClendon said. "The answer is it's not perfect. But for the next 20 years, natural gas is probably our best bet. And the good news is, we've got it. And we've got as much of it as anybody else in the world."

There are shale formations across large parts of the country, and there is production or exploration in over 30 states. It's an American energy renaissance.

Some 10,000 wells will be drilled in northwest Louisiana, in some of the poorest communities in the country, where impoverished farmers are becoming overnight millionaires as they lease their land for drilling.

"I never dreamed of money like this," C.B. Leatherwood told Stahl. "

Leatherwood, a retired oil field worker, got a bundle to drill under his farm: $434,000.

His cousin, Mike Smith, also profited: he was paid nearly $2 million.

"So what'd you do that day?" Stahl asked Smith.

"I sat back and thought about it for a, all day. And I said, 'I'm a millionaire.' And that didn't sound right," he replied.

They actually call them "shaleionaires," and they don't mind putting up with the noisy, smelly drilling when the wells are built because they get a cut of the profits, which could last for years and add up to millions more.

Last year, shale drilling generated almost $6 billion in Louisiana in new household earnings. As the rest of the nation plunged into a recession, the region added over 57,000 local jobs, and the Cadillac dealership in town is hopping.

People have known for a century that shale contained gas, but it was too difficult and pricy to extract."




I can personally say that the conversion from regular gas to natural gas on our businesses trucks was easy and relatively cheap, and they work great.






And yes, I realize that it is an imperfect solution and there will be some people who will have to be relocated from their homes and farms and communities, much like we currently use eminent domain to take land for highways, etc.

[devilsadvocate]

If it happened TODAY we would be screwed. We would have to rely on reserves and ration it.

So no acts of aggression, that's what I'm trying to find out.

The rest I'm really not inclined to bother with.

[999969999]

If it happened TODAY we would be screwed. We would have to rely on reserves and ration it.

So no acts of aggression, that's what I'm trying to find out.

The rest I'm really not inclined to bother with.

No, no acts of aggression. What would that get us? We need to look for our fuel needs within the United States and we have it all right here, but we are going to have to disband the E.P.A. and ignore groups like the Sierra Club, to get to our own natural gas resources so we can use them.

[clocker]

So, basically you think it's perfectly OK to completely trash the environment just to produce energy?
What's the point of being able to drive around in a wasteland or having a fully fueled vehicle when you're dead?

[999969999]

So, basically you think it's perfectly OK to completely trash the environment just to produce energy?
What's the point of being able to drive around in a wasteland or having a fully fueled vehicle when you're dead?

It won't completely trash the environment and it won't become a wasteland. Those concerns are completely overblown by econuts like you.

There will be localized areas around the drilling that will need the help of good old eminent domain. We do it for roads, why not do it for fuel?

I should also point out that I live within easy driving range to a huge coal fired electric generating plant, and it isn't hurting anyone or anything around it. Econuts hate them, but they make use of a cheap and plentiful supply of coal we have right in the four corners area of Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico.

[clocker]

Ah, the myth of "Clean Coal".
What took you so long to bring up that canard?