Aside from arguments about the Observer and neutrality and the like, this article contains a really fascinating blurb:

Bush insisted last week that America must become less dependent on foreign oil producers 'who don't like America'; but last month the US Department of Energy forecast that, by 2035, 51 per cent of world production would come from Opec - compared with 38 per cent today.

This a long time off, of course, and it's quite likely that other sources of energy will become much more competitive. Still, an OPEC that powerful is a somewhat disturbing thought; both in terms of what it would mean for world stability, for American foreign policy (and its repercussions), for the Middle East, and the west as a whole.