[widebody911]

I was reading something last week, and while I don't have the background to corroborate or debunk it, it did sound interesting, so I'm throwing it out here. This theory held that, since the US dollar is the currency in which countries must buy oil, by driving up the cost of oil, the value of the dollar is artificially inflated. The US is driving up the cost of oil by creating a disturbance in the ME.

One other piece of the puzzle is the theory that the real reason for the invasion of Iraq was was to prevent Saddam from switching to the Euro as the oil currency. These two would seem to go hand-in-hand. There are lots of pieces written on this, go google.

On a similar note (pun intended) I've had concerns about the falling value of the dollar, but at the same time, I've heard conservatives say it's a good thing, which has me further scratching my head. They say it makes exports cheaper, but the rate of import to export seems to lopsided, it's like pissing on a forest fire.

The oil men are laughing all the way to the bank, but I doubt there will be a 'windfall profits tax' this time.