Steve- Offshore drilling won't have an immediate impact on gas prices, everything I have seen from any oil expert has already said this several times. 5-10 years is the expected time frame to see any impact from offshore drilling. He also said he is only willing to include offshore drilling if it also includes plans for seeking and implementing higher fuel effiecency in vehicles and alternative energy sources.

Also don't you find it a little funny how even big oil wants us to start doing offshore drilling that will supposedly lower the cost of oil so drastically??

Nestor & Katerina- Ok, if you want to play that... had the 1st Bush drilled when he was in office we would of been enjoying these great lower prices you imagine (experts say a few cents at most, when we even see any usable oil) years ago lol. If its not about immediate impact its about the national security your so worried about because we use foriegn oil maybe we should stop using anything and everything from other countries immediately, lock our borders completely, and build a "biodome" over our entire country too?? Also if its not about immediate relief, then what does it matter if it is in the form of off shore drilling, or the alternative energy Obama was and still is pushing for?

If its not about gas prices why is the biggest section of text in this post is about cheaper (relating to price) gasoline???

Ok, those other countries pay higher taxes which makes the cost per gallon higher... their government is raking in the dough on it, not big oil then correct? Ummm yeah government really controls the price of many things even here in the good ol U.S.A.

What big oil is currently doing is price gouging whether you want to admit it or not it is. You don't think its ironic how last summer the prices were high because of "breaks" and problems at the refineries and this year it is because of some massive boom in demand with less supply? And wow I haven't heard of a single break, or problem at a refinery at all this year who waved the magical wand that fixed everything so well lol.

Its funny you say they only make 7% return, last I heard it was an 8% return... and they are making even bigger record profits this year... also who is releasing these #s you are coming up with considering the fact that the big oil exects claimed under oath to congress that their profits aren't as high as they look because almost all of those "profits" go to research and development.... Monies allocated or used for R&D once allocated or used are now an expense so if they are expenses why are they reporting them as profits?? To boost the values of their stock, or are they just complete and total idiots who obviously don't deserve that million dollar a day paycheck (which is also an expense that comes out of their record profits).

Lastly who's fault is it they bought leases they weren't allowed to use do to a longstanding ban on offshore drilling??????????

Cameron- Maybe we should of never placed a ban on offshore drilling all together and just let them start drilling way back then. Maybe we could still get 10 gallons for 10 cents like my grandpa told me he used to do waaaaaaaaaaaaay back in the day :-D

Oil prices may have dropped drastically but the cost of gasoline went down minimully compared to the way it shot up when the cost of a barrel went up even a little. Also the cost of gasoline is going back up already too... not to mention through all of this the cost of the oil I used in my truck and the oil for my equipment has not increased at all lol.

As far as Karens comment about Bush's third term Cameron...McCain said before if he gets elected it will be more of the same and he wants to continue Bush's failed economic policies... or has he changed his mind on that considering it got him nowhere in the polls lol