Before There Was a Massive Oil Volcano in the Middle of the Ocean...

...there was an editorial published June 19, 2008, by the Telegraph's Alex Singleton titled, "George Bush is right on offshore drilling."

Let's see how he did.

There are indeed legitimate environmental concerns about drilling, but there are also economic concerns about high energy prices and the reliance on oil imported from temperamental sources. Harnessing US oil resources, just as Britain has harnessed North Sea oil, is increasingly necessary.

Technological progress will eventually break the link between energy use and carbon emissions, but it is impractical in the near future to rely purely on renewable sources. Wind energy, for example, can be an important part of a country’s energy mix, but it is on its own unable to guarantee a consistent supply of power.

It's not the vitriolic Glen Beck-style comical slapstick of the right that we've come to expect. But there's nothing reasonable about it. Not now and not then. This idea that we should keep chasing oil deeper and deeper into the sea, knowing full well the potential for damage to environment, while we wait for technology to solve the problem for us is like a fat person waiting around for pills that give you better abs than Jesus. It'll be a long wait while things keep getting worse.