Observers wasted no time in trashing the Bush administration's weak new fuel efficiency standards. The increases in mpg only apply to light trucks and smaller SUVs, leaving alone the biggest problem we have in fuel economy - the big SUVs. To bring the disconnect with reality to new heights, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta arrived at the press conference to announce the new standards in a Lincoln Navigator, which - Surprise! - isn't going to have to be more fuel efficient under these rules. According to the Department of Energy, the Navigator chugs along at 15 mpg, and receives some of the worst scores possible for emissions. (Note: my former boss also drives around in a Navigator, but that doesn't mean I think it's a good idea).

Another problem: U.S. cars have less stringent requirements than imports. This is protectionism, pure and simple, and it drives up the costs for consumers who actually care about their fuel mileage.

Some studies have been done that argue that smaller, lighter cars that were sold after CAFE standards were introduced in 1975 may have been ultimately responsible for a few thousand deaths in collisions with bigger vehicles. Here's the most reputable one, done by the NAS. However, I'd argue that the problem isn't the guy in the small car - it's the guy in the bigger car. If everybody were driving smaller cars, it's not obvious to me that we'd be in a more dangerous situation than if everybody were driving bigger cars, which bring a lot more energy into collisions. At any rate, Detroit can and should manufacture more efficient cars, which it can do without reducing the size or safety of vehicles (mainly by making engines more efficient).

What are the chances of that happening right now? Smaller than a Cooper Mini.