Producing hydrogen takes more energy than it makes. (There is no free lunch.)
Most power plants in the USA are natural gas, or coal fired because we are so biased against nuclear power, and have allowed the envrionmentalists to further screw us on stopping dam building as well. No hydro plants, no nukes, and we are left with polluting coal and natural gas. (Here is a funny one, during the Carter administration, the facility in Idaho that studies, designs and tests new reactors needed a power plant. Guess what type they got? Yep, a coal fired plant. It's now the only polluting plant in Eastern Idaho. BTW, this "facility" is huge. There are reactors and processing facilities spread out all over the place, and the worlds first power producing nuke plant is still there. (Along with two of the prototype nuke jet engine designs too.) Interesting stuff if your ever driving between Idaho Falls, and Arco, Idaho.)
Back on topic.
Blowing up the Arabs is not the solution. Finding other sources of oil, and developing them as fast as possible is one solution. The problem is perception. Just like we perceive that oil is mostly from the middle east, when things there go bad, the price of oil is driven up by traders and buyers in a panic of selling and buying.
As we move our supply lines away from this idiot controlled part of the world, we can bring some stability to the supply of hydrocarbons, and let the Arabs figure it out for themselves.
I think if they continue to poke us in the eye however, we need to send in less troops, and drop more bombs/missiles etc. Target their infastructure, and put them back into the stone age. No power, no water and no sewers. No roads. Nothing of any modern town. It would not take long, and the people themselves would rebel against the religious leaders who are telling them to fight. (Of course the propaganda would need to point out that we are acting based on the terrorist threat, and since they support terrorism, they will have no power etc untill these governments supporting terror are removed.)
In the past, blockades have been EXTREMELY effective. You don't let anyone in or out of the enemy camp. (City in this case.)
Post checkpoints, use our night and radar capabilities to close down the areas that oppose us. No other rule than if you try and leave, your shot. If you try and get in, your shot. No warnings. No pardon.
Would not take long to starve out the insurgents in Iraq. Or anywhere else for that matter. (How long are you going to last in Iraq with no running water, food or power?) Not any longer than anywhere else in the world.
Good thing about this is our guys don't get put into harm's way. They just patrol and maintain the perimiter of the blockade. It's not nearly as dangerous as driving a HUMVEE through a clearly hostile town full of hating, well fed and watered insurgents.
We failed to see this in Viet Nam. We let politicians run the war, and our troops morale and well being were put aside for "political" goals. Ultimately the resolve of the people at home failed, and we left in discrace. Has Viet Nam been better for it? Nope, they are about the poorest nation on earth, and countless millions have died. What a victory for them.
Can we solve the problems of the Arabs and Jews? NOT IN THIS CENTURY, and I doubt in any other. They hate each other, and have fed this hate to each generation of children brought up to hate each other. The problem is, these children are now being taught to hate US. This is now becoming our problem, and the only cure is death to our enemies. Hate to put it that bluntly, but if your taught to hate from the time you stopped sucking your mom's tit, no amount of world travel or experiance is going to change your deep set, learned hate. A few will change. A few will survive, but the ones that hate us need to die. Simple in theory, just difficult to do in practice. The ones that hate us, look like the ones that just tolerate us.
That is why the troops coming back from Iraq, Afganistan and other wars like Viet Nam pretty much did not trust anyone from those countries or ethnic groups. They had all watched friends and comrads killed by mothers and children, and other enemies who hated us who looked as innocent as the next guy, but were deadly.
War sucks eh? Killing women and children is not nice, and it's not what I'd like to do, but they are ready to kill me, you and our families and friends. What are you going to do about that? I say nuke'em and get it over with personally.
Keep in mind that North Korea has nukes now. And they are crazy MoFo's. They will use them. (Do some quick searches of the crap that has gone on between North and South Korea, and it's amazing we have not rolled into a huge war there again.) I think the Chinese are very much influencing PRNC, and keep them somewhat docile.
Imagine if Iran reveals they have nukes. It's only a matter of time gentlemen. Do you think these nations that hate us to the core are going to sit around and do nothing about their hate?
I hate to be the one who says it, but it's going to take a nuke event in the USA, the greatest act of terrorism yet. (Let's call it what it is, an act of war.) to finally bring us as a nation to our feet, and the cry to destroy our enemies will finally start the end of this conflict. The West v/s Islam. Call it WWIII if you want, but it's going to happen, it's just a matter of time. (And North Korea will be wiped out along with their allies in Islam.) The question is, will China stay out of it, or will we bring about some change there too?
