Conventional nuclear power will almost have to be used as a stop gap to bridge the fossil fuel era and the time when we have technologies such as fusion and advanced solar generating systems.

Instead of spending hundreds of billions to make Iraq safe for Haliburton, we should be funding the equivalent of the Manhattan Project for fusion power. It may take a generation to develop, so the sooner we get started, the better.

Amen. A "Manhattan style project" to develop fusion (not fission) which is, as exists only in theory now, nuclear power without any of the radioactive mess. In the meantime, part of this project would encompass increased fuel efficiency for products that consume fossil fuel. We could lead the world in this area and become the unparalleled leaders in a brand new segment of the economy.

In addition to saving the planet and our standard of living in the long, long run, we would boost our economy tremendously by creating an entirely new economic sector, which we will dominate. Fossil fuel indusries will not suffer, they will just have to learn to transform. They are the ones in the best position to make the capital investments necessary to develop these new technologies. (Think DuPont, GE, Bell Labs, The [now less than] Seven Sisters, etc.)