Oil companies, speculators, Saudis, special interest groups and the government. Can you think of anyone else to blame for a free market in which the demand has increased with supply remaining steady?

None of the entities you mentioned control oil prices. Demand and supply do.
The oil companies are about mid-pack in the corporate world in terms of profit margin. The US government confiscates two to three times what the the oil companies do on every gallon of fuel sold.

Tax the corporations more,you say? The consumer will pay those taxes with every gallon of gas sold.