New Libyan Adventure Reveals the REAL Cost of Gasoline, Again

AUTO CENTRAL - March 20, 2011:

Muccus Kaddafi (another possible spelling). One good-looking SOB.

The real cost of gasoline to the United States was painfully made evident once again as American tomahawk missiles slammed into Libyan targets yesterday. Not that Muammar Gaddafi (or Khaddafi, or Kaddafi, or Gadaffi, or however you spell his name) and his buddies don't deserve a little zingeroo, but at what cost? Well how about a half billion dollars for a few minutes of bliss?

As we figure it, tomahawk missiles cost us taxpayers around $1 million each...at least that's what they cost us about 20 years ago*. With inflation, they might just cost us 2, 3 or 4 times that number. Therefore, the firing of 112 tomahawk missiles at some irrelevant sand targets probably cost us somewhere between $112 million and $500 million. And for what, to slap the crazy colonel on the wrist for doing to his fellow countrymen what he's been doing for more than 40 years. Suddenly now we're concerned for the lives of common Libyans? It doesn't make sense, especially since this Obama guy ran for president on a platform of getting us out of wars. Now we're in (or about to enter) another one?

And for what? WHAT? Oil for gasoline, that's what.

Considering that the tomahawks weren't targeting Mr. Q or his sons, it was little more than a show. And since he didn't immediately pack his bags and close up shop, it probably means we'll have to do it again, and then again, and maybe even again and again and again. So if we could spend upwards of a half billion dollars in the span of an hour or so, just think how many billions this little game will cost us...all in the hope that the other oil producers and gasoline companies will be able to re-gain control over Libya’s oil.

• EDITOR'S NOTE: On Friday, March 25, CNN began running reports about this very subject; questioning who is going to foot the bill for our inappropriate action in Libya. Welcome, guys, you're late as usual.

On the other hand, if we made a serious attempt at replacing gasoline as our primary engine-fuel with ethanol, CNG or propane - or all three - we could thumb our noses at the whole bunch of those creeps and go on our merry way. But now, to top it all off, we have to worry about new terrorist threats on our commercial airlines.

The next time that you pull into a gasoline station, and watch the price wheels spin like a slot machine, just tack on the cost of our new Libyan adventure.

Great, just great. Thanks Mr. President.

Incidentally, while we are pissing away hundreds of millions of dollars to shake a dictator loose from the people who supported him for nearly half a century, they are paying about 42 cents per gallon of gasoline**.

*Twenty years ago, Bob Gordon and Marc Rauch (The Auto Channel's two principals) worked on a marketing project with General Dynamics, one of the main manufacturers of tomahawk missiles. The price quoted to them at that time for tomahawk missiles was $1,000,000 each.

**According to the McClatchy news story "As gasoline soars, Libyan rebels pay 46 cents a gallon" by Nancy A. Youssef and Kevin G. Hall