>>It would all be so much more palatable if everyone just said what it was really about; our entire way of life needs vast amounts of energy i.e. oil, gas. They have it. We want it.
>
>Just jumping in to point something out : Have you considered the size of the well spewing into the gulf? The spill is obviously getting all the news, but one may wish to consider the size of the actual well underneath before proclaiming "they have it". Some industry estimates are putting it as the 2nd largest find in the world.
>
>Jumping back out...

This is irrelevant. Our entire way of life depends on oil and other resources (mainly foreign) and the west will do whatever it takes to maintain access to it. This is simply a fact and all the talk of freedom and democracy and building bridges and schools and winning the hearts and minds is just so much marketing BS and PR spin to make us feel better about doing it.

In respect of your point, whether or not this field turns out to be big enough to supply a significant portion of the west’s energy needs we will still continue to take it from elsewhere before using up our own resources. 40,000 barrels per day (the top leak estimate) is peanuts compared with what we consume each day in the west. The US alone needs 20,000,000 barrels per day.