"I think we'll go through $200 oil like a hot knife through butter," said energy investment banker Matt Simmons this week, speaking at the Offshore Technology Conference in Houston. When asked about the hoped-for concept of energy independence for the U.S., a goal the three presidential candidates often invoke, he joked, "If we let the [fossil fuel] energy system collapse, then yes, we'll be energy independent! We're going to pay through the teeth for that illusion" --Leslie Haines, editor in chief, Oil and Gas Investor, lhaines@hartnergy.com