Hyperbole

Check out this article from the New Yorker: "America Without Oil".

Here's the final quote:
"Sooner or later, we are going to have a lot of hybrid cars, electric cars, and, perhaps, at some time in the future, we are going to have a hydrogen economy," Robert Mabro told me. "But, until we get there, to talk about energy independence is foolish. The two candidates, with due respect, are lying to the people, or they don't know what they are talking about."

This reminds me of a quote from the "End of Suburbia" film, in which the interviewee exclaims (albeit somewhat hysterically, IMHO) that we will elect any sort of madmen who will tell us we can keep our SUVs and other such energy-suckers.