John McCain isn’t the only one trying to distance himself from the ever-more-unpopular President Bush this election season. Just weeks after the Bush-appointed EPA chairman denied a petition to limit the ethanol production quotas, the Republican party has officially rejected ethanol as part of its party platform.

The GOP based its decision on concerns about skyrocketing global food prices, and the logic that markets, not governments, should determine what sources our energy is derived from. With oil prices continuing to slide, even in the face of decreased refinery production due to Hurricane Gustov, it’s a decision that seems entirely reasonable.

However, with the US still extremely reliant on foreign oil sources, making this decision based largely on current conditions will likely prove shortsighted. Offshore domestic drilling operations, if approved, may not have an impact for over a decade, leaving the US strategically and economically vulnerable to the same market pressures that forced up oil costs earlier this year.

With vast expanses of arable land, and arguably the most overfed population in the world, the US seems ideally poised to reap the benefits of plant-based crops. Abandoning ethanol entirely could prove a costly move in the long run for the GOP.