This isn't a liberal thing... it's a science thing. Even scientists from the major oil companies have agreed that the oil is running out... the big debate is over how quickly. You realize how this works, right? Well hang on... I'll get a picture for you:
Don't forget... the world population has doubled THREE times in the last 70 years or so... along with that increase, demand for oil has shot up. EVEN IF THERE WAS INFINITE OIL, the population will soon reach a level where demand exceeds output capacity. I argue that we're already at THAT point... hence food riots in Haiti and starving/dehydrated people in drought ridden "Southern" countries.
And what is with you people and trying to call this a "liberal" or a "conservative" thing, like those terms are supposed to be insults. Both liberal and conservative records have been abysmal, especially when it comes to energy independence.
Don't stay in denial, or we WILL be in a nasty situation akin to the Civil War. To avoid those kinds of controversies, we need to get focused on new forms of oil...