WASHINGTON - On a day oil prices leaped to unheard-of highs, senators lined up Big Oil's biggest executives and pummeled them with complaints that they're pretending to be "hapless victims" while raking in record profits.

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"People we represent are hurting, the companies you represent are profiting," Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., told the executives. He said there's a "disconnect" between legitimate supply issues and the oil and gasoline prices motorists are seeing.

The executives, sitting shoulder to shoulder in the hearing room, said they understood people were hurting, but they tried to blunt the emotion with economic analysis.

Profits have been huge "in absolute terms," conceded J. Stephen Simon, executive vice president of Exxon Mobil Corp., but they "must be viewed in the context of the massive scale of our industry." And high earnings "in the current up cycle" are needed for investments in the long term, including when profits will be down.

"'Current up cycle,' that's a nice term when people can't afford to go to work" because gasoline is costing so much, replied Leahy with sarcasm.

when the gas ran out...l'm outta here!

later

the revolution will not be televised...

First,the very best news we can hope for.That is the peace talks between Israel and Syria.I hope that they conclude a peace treaty similar to Egypt.And all others in the Midle East also join this movement.The people of the Middle East have suffered long enough.It is time that they enjoyed peace, security and, for lack of a better word, brotherhood.

Second, the continuing saga of Mrs.Clinton's crack up that seems to flourish unabated.The level of self absorption, delusion and ego mania that her actions an words require is for people more qualified than I to examine.Suffice it to say that she has become revolting.

Third, is the price of oil which has reached $135 per barrel today and experts are predicting $200 a barrel within the next few months.Of course, the pain at the pump is real.Where I live it has reached well over $4 a gallon an $5 a gallon is around the corner.This is the kind of thing that is going to change our life style.When you remove the pain we will inevitably go through,it has the potential to strip us of our imperialist delusions and hopefully usher in an era of moderation in our thoughts and actions.Waging wars against the weak has reached the point of diminishing returns and it is time for a change as Mr.Obama keeps saying.