Michael Schwartz sheds light on the odd reluctance of Democrats Obama and Clinton to make any definite commitment to pull US troops out of Iraq. The story can be found in TomDispatch:

http://www.tomdispatch.com/post/174856/michael_schwartz_iraq_policy_floating_on_a_sea_of_oil

West Texas Intermediate, the NYMEX benchmark crude, topped $96 in futures trading, Wednesday, setting a new record, in futures trading. The Irish Times reports the surge came after an unexpected drop in crude oil inventories at Cushing, Oklahoma.

See http://www.ireland.com/newspaper/breaking/2007/1101/breaking11.htm