As much as I dislike having to pay these exorbitant prices for fuel (diesel is approaching $5.00 per gallon) there is a silver lining potential.  Republicans need to utilize this issue for the next 5 months. Any Republican candidate should be pressing their support to drill for oil.  This is not going away and is a winning issue at the ballot box.  All of us are fed up with these prices that are eating into our household budget.  Democrats do not any real answers to the problem. Alternative and renewable power is great but is not the entire answer.  There is a worldwide demand for oil that is not going to go away.  Even if we all drive hybrid cars we still need affordable diesel fuel to run farm tractors, semi-trucks and freight trains to produce and move vital necessities such as food to consumers.  America needs to be more energy independent by drilling and refining the abundant oil fields that are available offshore or in the artic.  There is no reason why we should strangle our economy when the resources are there.