Real reasons for our dependence on foreign oil?

[Wheetsin 714]

And I am not limiting "foreign" to mean Persian Gulf countries. I mean it as in - outside of our own sufficiency. Countries with many fewer resources (in all aspects except perhaps motivation or initiative) are kicking our asses here.

What's our achilles tendon? Is it Big Oil and the power of lobbyists? Is it bad inheritance from shortsighted administrations? Past or present presidential ties to the Saudi power families? Something else?