There was a time when it was about coal. That flammable rock sent trains across the continents and ships across the sea. The fleets that defeated Japan and brought American divisions to North Africa and Europe ran on coal but the planes and tanks that ended the war were powered by oil. . By the time of Vietnam our armies abroad and our economy at home were all dependent on oil. Trains and truck, ships and planes are all powered by the energy extracted from oil. Since World War II and Korea American foreign policy has been fueled by that essential commodity. Without oil we see the nation grind to a halt. Without oil our armies grind to a halt. It happened in 1973 when the Arab nations deprived the US of access their oil. There simply was not enough to fuel the war machine in Vietnam and the economic engines at home without free flowing Arabian oil. Our cars had to stop so that combat could proceed when the Arabs turned off the tap.

When we were last engaged in the Middle East it was about oil. In 1991 George 41 took us to war over control of the flow of oil from the Persian Gulf. It wasn't about Iraqi aggression against the Kuwaiti people. It was about Kuwaiti oil. As soon as the oil fields were recovered the war was over.

That is why the United States Government must have a deaf ear while murders are hailed as martyrs. That is why the United States Government must turn a blind eye to the deaths of Israelis quietly celebrating the memory of God's blessings at a Passover Seder. We can't fly our planes without Arab oil. We can't run our tanks without Arab oil. We can't sail our ships without Arab oil. We can run our splendid little war in Afghanistan without either the assurance of a steady supply of oil from Arabia and the Gulf States - unless we ask the American people to bear part of the burden of fighting that war.

Should we take a strong stance against the Arafat regime's heinous campaign against the innocents we risk the oil supply. The alternative, asking Americans to stay home; to conserve fuels for the war effort; to realize that war means sacrifice is to put 80% approval rates at risk. Israeli old people and children aren't worth that risk.

There is another alternative. Demand that Israel withdraw from a military solution and comply with the Saudi plan that will soon become an ultimatum. The political cost to the Administration of tilting to Arafat is more that this Administration could pay. It stood on the moral high ground since September 11th. Choosing the Arafat alternative means descending from the heights. It means admitting that some terrorism is acceptable so long as it is not directed against the United States. It will only take one fanatic strolling into a 5th Avenue restaurant at lunch time to bring the terror to America in a way that the grand gesture of the World Trade Towers is only the tip of the iceberg.

The third alternative is what the Bush Administration is doing. What is the Administration plan? Blame Iraq. Blame Iran. Blame Syria. Keep the President from risking political advantage by becoming a leader in a quest for peace. Remember it is all about oil - the Arabs have it. We need it. Israel is on her own.