Tom Friedman is almost giddy at the prospect of oil costing $100 a barrel. Of course, this perfectly reflects the New York Times mindset. Many of the opinion columnists are quite wealthy or/and live in the city, so don't let concerns of the little people — like high gas prices — bother them. Farmers, working commuters, truck drivers — you just don't find much concern  for them in the august pages of the Times. Such high prices oil would certainly enrich Friedman's friends in the region — the ones who hosts him in royal splendor (like the Saudis) when he flies there.

This item is adopted from a NewsBusters.org posting by the MRC's Tim
Graham. 

When asked on Thursday's Good Morning America how Iran could
punish America, New York Times columnist Tom Friedman grew positively giddy thinking about the whopping economic depression they could cause, proclaiming that if "they cut off oil and oil went to $100 a barrel that would make my day. Because the sooner we go to $100 a barrel, the sooner we're going to have everyone in America driving a plug—in hybrid car fueled by corn and ethanol. And I think that would be a great thing and
that would ultimately free us from having to worry about these people."

The MRC's Brian Boyd caught the exchange on the March 9 GMA:

Charles Gibson: "When Iran threatens harm and pain what can they do necessarily? I mean, are they talking about restricting oil sales and cutting off oil and perhaps driving the price of oil up? Are they talking about causing more problems in Iraq for the United States, what?"

Tom Friedman: "Well, of course if you're talking about the oil weapon, you know, from my own personal perspective, Charlie, they cut off oil and oil went to $100 a barrel that would make my day. Because the sooner we go to $100 a barrel, the sooner we're going to have everyone in America driving a plug—in hybrid car fueled by corn and ethanol. And I think that would be a great thing and that would ultimately free us from having to worry about these people."

Ed Lasky   3 11 06