I despise the oil companies as much as anyone, but the skyrocketing price we pay at the pump (now $2 per gallon in Las Vegas) is determined by global market forces -- and more specifically SPECULATION. The prices we are paying now reflect the price of oil futures in the global market (which were purchased by speculators 3 months ago, 6 months ago, or whatever was the term of the "future").
The US actually gets very little of its oil from Iraq (I'm not sure of the number, but it's insignificant). Europe is much more dependent on Middle Eastern (and Iraqi) oil than we are in the US (one of the many reasons for their objections to the war, in general).
One thing that markets do not like is INDECISION. When an issue is open to question -- such as the if and when suppositions of an invasion -- peole (and speculators) panic. That means the price goes up.
As it became obvious Iraq would be invaded -- spculators drove up the price of oil (more demand to buy futures resulting in increasing prices). When the futures come to fruition, we are now seeing the ramifications of that panic -- which is high gas prices.
Never mind that the production of Iraqi oil may have dropped off in recent months. That has very little to do with the price of oil on the global market, since it simply means other oil exporting nations can increase production (and make more money).
-- Nolan Dalla