Americans Get Wise to Energy

James Carville thinks he knows what Americans care about. Via Thomas Friedman:

"Energy independence," Carville said. "It's now the No. 1 national security issue. ... It's become kind of a joke with us, because no matter how we ask the question, that's what comes up."

Coming in No. 1, with 42 percent, was "reducing dependence on foreign oil." Coming in a distant second at 26 percent was "combating terrorism." Coming in third at 25 percent was "the war in Iraq," and tied at 21 percent were "securing our ports, nuclear plants and chemical factories" and "addressing dangerous countries like Iran and North Korea." "Strengthening America's military" drew 12 percent. Mr. Carville also noted that because their polls are of "likely voters," they have a slight Republican bias -- i.e., they aren't just polling a bunch of liberal greens.

But here's the problem with energy independence as a political issue: the most viable solution (some say the only viable solution) is higher energy taxes. I'm no political expert, but I'm willing to wager that Americans will be less enthusiastic about energy independence when it isn't just about SUV hybrids and ethanol production. While I'm thrilled that Americans have finally focused on energy policy as a genuine security issue, I'll be even happier when they realize that the solution requires sacrifice.

PS. It's worth noting that liberals aren't the only ones calling for higher gas and energy taxes. Bush's former economic advisor and Alan Greenspan have both insisted that America must raise the gas tax.