U.S. Military's Alternative Fuel Campaign   

Does anybody think the U.S. Military's push to use synthetic fuel will actually work?  The Journal's article this morning on the subject was intriguing.  I never really condsidered how crippling it could be for the boys overseas if a major attack on specific refineries/pipelines took place.  I'm sure everyone here knows the dependence on Foreign Oil is a major threat.  But my God...the MIlitary spent $11.6 billion on fuel in 2006 and $12 billion in 2007.  There's now becoming a mutliple strategic reasons for the government to force an alternative fuel source and they're looking at coal.  Doesn't the U.S. sit on the largest coal bed in the world? 

The German government did during WW2 and some other governments do now use synthetic fuel now.  It is a proven, century-old process that is cost-inefficient at $20/bbl oil and cost-efficient at $100/bbl oil.

 A company called Sasol (SSL on NYSE) based in South Africa has been making oil from coal for years - since Apartheid era sanctions scared them into energy independence. Same technology the Germanns used in WWII. I believe they can make a barrell of oil for a cost of $55.00 US. If the US was ever serious about energy independence we could have it in ten years. Problem is, too many special interests even apart from global warming concerns. Importing $700 Billion in oil has to stop or it will ruin our finances, even without the credit crisis, $700 Billion in imports is unsustainable.