Corn Based Ethanol - Why?

Like the author of an article I just reviewed, I too question the logic of creating 'fuel' from food crops.  Why would we create an industry that takes food out of our mouths while at the same time most likely consumes more energy than it produces.

Alex Wilson of GreenBuildingAdviser.com wrote in his article 'Ethanol Under Fire'

"Depending on whose study you believe, it either takes a little more or a little less energy to produce corn-based ethanol than that end-product contains. That EROI ratio ranges from 0.8:1 to 1.5:1, depending on the study."  "Any time the EROI is less than 1:1, it takes more energy to produce the fuel than the fuel contains. Even giving the ethanol industry the benefit of the doubt by assuming the actual EROI is 1.5:1, that means to produce a gallon of the fuel takes two-thirds of a gallon (equivalent) of fuel — diesel for tractors and combines on the farm, natural gas to produce nitrogen fertilizer, natural gas and electricity at the ethanol plant, and energy to ship that fuel around the country." "By comparison, the ethanol produced from sugar cane in Brazil has an EROI closer to 8:1 — for every gallon (equivalent) invested you get about eight gallons back out.
No matter whose numbers you believe, from an energy standpoint turning corn into ethanol to fuel our cars makes little sense."

Giving the politicians the benefit of the doubt (I know - extremely generous), they want to do the right thing! 

But we have to start focusing our resources and research in more intelligent ways, at least for the immediate future while we deal with the emergency on hand - Global Warming.  How much public funds has been misdirected and abused by research and subsidies on schema that will never result in a significant reduction in the burning of fuels that cause global warming (look at the hydrogen fuel cell as another great example)?  At this critical time, we need to concentrate on options that at least on paper have a significant chance of a healthy EROI. 

How much time have we lost going down these dead-end roads.  After all, time is of the essence if we have any chance of effecting the outcome!