I was at a gathering today where George Will spoke to a conservative energy group here in Houston. He mentioned that Gates had told him that a standoff strategy in Afghanistan was probably the way to proceed forward. Perhaps Gates has said that publicly, but it was news to me.

So if that is really the case, the resolution between his views and that of Obama will be interesting theatre.

43 Lurker, there may be a lot of oil in the Bakken, but it is very expensive to produce at these prices. And that’s why producers are laying down rigs in that area to focus on the more attractive gas shale plays that have a better payback now.