http://www.thegatesnotes.com/Topics/Energy/Catalyzing-Americ... It's not hard to imagine that some of that defense budget could be switched over to Energy R&D. Especially with all the talk about how energy independence would make the US safer. Fracking might be a breakthrough, but there are countless other breakthroughs out there if we chased after them. The US budget has structural problems that are killing innovation. They make fracking look like a godsend, but it doesn't have to be that way.
There isn't anything wrong with taking our time to understand the consequences of "fracking" before we jump, whole heartedly in to bed with it. Some suggest that fracking could be responsible for some earth quakes in Australia etc. Prudence isn't passivity. http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/fracking-concern-reignites-2011110...
http://www.window.state.tx.us/specialrpt/energy/subsidies/im... Compare this to how much we spent on ONE cancelled fighter jet program which had "development costs" alone of 56.4 billion . http://www.economist.com/node/18958487 These number clearly indicate our priorities and it took me 10 minutes to find. I'm sure more digging would reveal even more of a slant. Spending an atrocious amount to protect our energy interests abroad instead of spending time on _any_ approach to develop adequate domestic energy sources seems pennywise and dollar foolish.
Our priorities are way out of whack.