Political Quotes

“Think about the simple equation of Saddam's influence over the world right now. You don't have to be a mental giant to reach any other conclusion, but we buy Saddam Hussein's oil. We send him the money. He pays his Republican guards and builds up his biological and chemical weapons capability. We take that oil, put it in our airplanes and fly over and bomb him. And the process starts all over again. What kind of a foreign policy is that? How do we get back on course? Well, there is a solution. We have to reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We need to go through some avenues to do this. We need to increase our efficiency and maximize our utilization of alternative fuels and renewables. But we also have to increase domestic oil and gas production in this country. We have vast resources in areas like the overthrust belt in Wyoming, Colorado, and other States where we produce oil. We can produce more. But 64 percent of the public land has been withdrawn from exploration. Increased domestic supply is needed to lower prices, reduce volatility, and ensure safe and secure energy supply. My State of Alaska has been producing about 20 to 25 percent of all the total crude oil produced in this country in the last 20-some years. We can produce more. We have the technology and we can do it safely. Give us an opportunity. Let us show the American can-do spirit. Let us meet the environmental concerns with technology, not rhetoric.”