had 4 years of Democratic Presidency and Congress before and 8 years of Democratic Presidents after Reagan.

Trying to blame EITHER party isn't very fair when the real problem can be seen in the mirror. Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter nor Bill Clinton made every yuppie SOB go out and buy a huge SUV ( they ruined the pickup truck market) that could seat 12 and got 8 mpg. People on either side of the aisle that suggested things like radically increased fuel taxes or strict mileage standards were committing political suicide, so NEITHER side ever pushed alternative energy, conservation or high mileage vehicles. The automakers didn't make high gas mileage cars simply because no one was buying them.

That there was eventually going to be higher petroleum based fuel prices has been obvious at least since the oil embargo, there just hasn't been any real economic incentive to change. Now there is and everyone is acting like they really supported all the conservation and effiencency stuff all along. I have to say Bullshit. Everyone, including me, has been part of the problem and now we are going to have to deal with it.