Here and There

In tomorrow’s New York Times, Thomas Friedman quotes Democratic pollsters James Carville and Stan Greenberg as saying their surveys show the number-one issue on people’s minds is energy independence.

If so, it’s about damn time.

I, like thousands, possibly millions of others, read Friedman’s Times columns regularly, and I’ve noticed energy independence is one of a few topics he won’t let go of. What originally caught my attention is the proposition that this one idea touches on many areas of life in the U.S. today. From the environment, to the economy, to national security and even terrorism, cutting the umbilical on fossil fuels imported from nations with questionable regimes is a no-brainer.

That may come across as self-righteous, but now we have data to back-up the assertion that this issue has weight. In fact, according to Carville and Greenberg’s polling, 42 percent said it was the most important issue. When faced with multiple choices (read: more than two), that’s amazing plurality.

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