When gas prices were hurtling upwards, most journalists wrote about (brace yourself) the fact that gas prices were high.  A few stretched themselves enough to address consumer pain and to ask vaguely whether Americans would give up "their love of SUVs" or start using mass transit.  Then, within the space of a week or so we learn that Americans react to economic laws just like everybody else.  Dee Ann Durbin and Tom Krisher of the Associated Press tell us about the spike in demand for small, fuel-efficient cars, leaving manufacturers low on inventory.  Clifford Krause of the New York Times reports on the growth of mass transit use, noting that rising fuel costs are taxing mass transit systems — not to mention the fact that most were unprepared for the rise in ridership.  These articles are better late than never, but for the most part, the trend toward smaller cars, mass transit, and subsequent carbon reductions are an untouched story.  Who is going to look ahead?

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