Breaking That Dirty Old Habit

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Whatever the future of the electric car and bioethanol, the notion that America must end its oil habit is gaining currency in Washington. George W. Bush, the former Texan oilman, has begun talking up corn ethanol and clean diesel and has endorsed a $4,000 tax credit for purchases of hybrid cars. That has not gone unnoticed by energy's new coalition of convenience, even if the President hasn't yet mentioned plug-in hybrids or bioethanol. "We drive to high-tech jobs today in cars built with 100-year-old technology, using 100 million-year-old fuel," says Podesta. "We can do better than that." Maybe 500 m.p.g. isn't so crazy after all. --With reporting by Marc Hequet/ St. Paul, Kristin Kloberdanz/Hopkinsville and Jeffrey Ressner/ Los Angeles