[seanmcdirmid]

In many of our lifetimes, see the Oil crisis in the 1970s when the ME embargoed the west. Go read up on that, it worked out well for the west and bad for the ME. People were pissed about having to wait in line for gas...for awhile...and carter lost re-election, but there were no angry people in the streets.

So ya, we do toughen up, and no, china doesn't have much leverage over the west at all, even less than the Middle East.