The price of oil is high because of instability in the middle east. The hurricanes also shut down ports and refineries in the Gulf of Mexico. But what's really driving up prices is global demand. It keeps growing, but oil production isn't increasing. It's becoming slightly harder to find oil, I believe. The solution is in many ways, in your hands as much as John Kerry's (in the sense that we all contribute to demand).
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip.asp"Of course, many of these factors would have a relatively minor impact were there more spare production capacity available and/or inventories globally were at much higher levels. However, with global demand increasing this year enough such that it has now nearly matched global production capacity, leaving less than 1 million barrels per day of excess production capacity worldwide, there is little flexibility inherent in oil markets to respond to even minor supply disruptions. In addition, measured inventories remain below average levels in many major consuming countries, and have not built sufficiently this summer to change this equation, removing another cushion that could otherwise be relied upon should there be a surge in demand or a disruption in supplies, either from political factors or some other event."