It's not like this is the first time, writes Thomas Friedman. We sat through the energy crisis of the '70s, the 9/11 attacks, two Gulf wars, a financial meltdown, and did nothing to end our nation's thirst for foreign oil. But maybe now, as we watch the toxic stain of oil darken our shores and choke our wildlife, maybe now, we'll recognize whose fault this devastating spill is: Ours.
Citing a friend's letter to the editor, ("This isn’t BP’s or Transocean’s fault. It’s not the government’s fault. It’s my fault. I’m the one to blame and I’m sorry.") the New York Times columnist quotes Pogo that, "We have met the enemy and he is us." But we're also the solution, Friedman says, if we finally, once and for all get real about energy independence: "A crisis is a terrible thing to waste, but a reprieve and a breathing spell—which is what we’re having right now—is a really terrible thing to waste." (More Gulf oil spill stories.)