My son is currently serving his second tour in Afghanistan, and I think he would totally agree with you. His first deployment was in 2006, and when he arrived there again this fall his first message to me was, “We should not spend one more dime, or one more life in this place.”
It concerns me that many FReepers feel the big solution is to DRILL, DRILL, DRILL. There seems to be a lack of understanding that it takes about 10 years to get all that drilling in place delivering oil, then you have to increase refining capacity which is also a long term investment of time and money. It is a lot quicker to combine conservation, and renewable sources. With that and our new shale deposits, we could really reduce our need for OPEC oil. On the other hand, I am sure that Chinese and Indian need will cause them to increase/continue their involvement with OPEC and might not bring about the desirable results mentioned in your last sentences.
And we've been hearing that sh*t from the left for over twenty years. If we'd shut them up back then, the infrastructure would be in place and producing now.