The price we pay

We know that certain high level officials like to claim that the United States declared war on and invaded Iraq because Saddam was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction and that Iraq in general was a threat to national and global security, as well as a center supporting the growing threat of terrorism. What seems to be have left the headlines lately is the possibility that part of the decision to do so could just possibly have been (read: sarcasm) oil related, and justified by reasons selfish to those in power.

I think this was a major (if not the single) factor, especially given that a certain President has oil ties and a certain vice president has much to gain by having a company he's connected with in Iraq getting grossly overpaid from day one. Not to mention the fact that oil ministries were secured before other important buildings.

Assuming this oil greed is a possible scenario, does it really make sense to be spending such large amounts of money to "guard", or "earn" a stake in the oil produced there? It has been widely predicted that we have exhaused 50% or more of the world's oil supplies. Using some simple eight grade math, assuming that since the industrial revolution is when most of it has been used, we have used this +/-50% in less than 150 years. And with consumption steadily rising, populations increasing, and more nations industrializing, it only goes to figure that within another 100 years or so the supply and demand of this remaining oil could reach crisis proportions.

This being the case, it makes sense to do what it takes to secure oil for our country. Right? Or does it? Does the price we're paying (monetarily, globally, and in terms of lives destroyed) justify this greed? I would bet that using the money that's been spent thus far on the war in Iraq - remember it's publicized as a war on terror - we could have made enormous strides in finding alternative energy sources. So rather than stake and tie our future to relations with a country and a land that at its' core we still don't understand, it seems to me there are better options. Why waste the time and resources killing people and ruining reputations? Even if it all plays out peacefully and successfully, likely during our lives an energy crisis will be an inevitable reality. Should we face it now when we have time, or later when we don't? This debate is nothing new; I've read several perfectly feasible proposals which outline specific plans to do become an oil independent country with 40 years, but apparently the choice is not ours to make...