Forget hybrids and ethanol: one has been drastically overrated and the other is entirely impractical (unachievable)--though the mega-farmers would greatly benefit from the effort!
What in fact is practicale would be to simply install overhead power lines--just as some electric buses in San Francisco are so powered.
We could easily modify all the cars currently on the road such that instead of internal combustion engines they would use electric motors directly hooked to the power lines.
Currently electric cars can go as far as 180 miles per charge; so instead cars could use much smaller batteries, and when one arrives home, the power line connection simply disengages and one drives right into their garage. Meanwhile the batteries would stay charged from the power line connection.
On the one hand, wind power could provide 85% of the US need, while, on the other hand, in 1949 Standard Oil of CA and others were convicted of conspiring to do away with electric buses and trolleys in order to replace them with gas and deisel powered buses.
What!!!???

1949 and Standard Oil of CA, mcertainly a portent of things to come and now resulting in the demise of America.

We could give peace a chance but the oil companies would never allow that.

I disagree, every alternative to oil MUST be researched and explored. A Toyota get about 60mpg if one drives it properly. Also their are companies in Cal. that can modify Toyota Prius so it will get 160mpg, driven properly, and at least 119mpg if not. In July of 2005 there was a superb article in the LA Times about all the innovations that are already available but do the MSM say anything, NO, and that is why the MSM has now become largely irrelevant. Or at least irrelevant until the Bush/ Repub government shuts it down or controls what we have access to, just as in China where their gov. successfully controls their citizens access to the internet.

Does anyone remember the GOP controlled committee hearings that questioned and blamed Cisco, Microsoft, Google et al for the restrictions to the internet by the Chinese gov.

Welll my friends, I can guarantee you that same situation will someday in the not to distant future (ten years or less) will happen in the US and by the Repubs.

I have gone a bit afield but what I have said demonstrates what can and will be done by the Repubs in concert with US corporatocracy. The Repubs will do it and the Dems are powerless to stop it.

Everyone must read the LA Times article written by their excellent automotive writer, if they haven't fired him for speaking the truth.

Let's all give peace a chance, it's the christian thing to do, the politically wise thing to do and the economically wise thing to do and good for all businesses except the oil companies.

Dude, I'm sure!!! Who's paying you???
A hybrid simply saves whatever gasoline would be used when a car is idling.