The culprit is the position of the jet stream and the inability of moisture from the Gulf of Mexico, therefore, to get over the central interior. And if there's no moisture, there's no rain.

When you get those kinds of conditions and you get a jet stream that is moving right into that area, that is exactly what we're looking for in environmental conditions that can produce a ... tornado outbreak like we had yesterday.

There isn't the spare capacity to make up for the missing production in the Gulf of Mexico. OPEC used to have 4 to 5 million barrels of spare capacity. That's down to about 1.5 million barrels a day this year.

Once the storm gets in the Gulf of Mexico, there's no telling where it's going to go,

There may be more cycles of hyperventilation yet to come as Hurricane Rita blows through the Gulf of Mexico, but the DOE data for last week was a calming influence.

I have in hands, now, specimens of bottom from t he Gulf Stream, obtained by Lieutenant Craven, and I can say that they are among the most interesting that I have ever seen.