Political Quotes

“I am very happy to respond to my friend from Arizona. Perhaps I can highlight a little bit about the specific dependence. Here is where we get our oil currently: Nigeria, Libya, Saudi Arabia, and here is Iraq--862,000 barrels. It is over a million barrels now. So we have increased that. If we were to terminate our dependence, we would have to find it someplace else. We would like to think that we could initiate more conservation. You can buy a small, fuel-efficient car. Some people do. Most people prefer not to for their comfort and for economic reasons. But, nevertheless, the choice is theirs. To suggest that somehow we would terminate purchasing oil from Iraq, the results are somewhat predictable. The price of crude oil to the American public would go up because there would be a shortage of supply. I assume Saudi Arabia, which has excess capacities, would try to use their leverage to pick up some of that oil. But it would certainly cost more. The Senator from Arizona makes a very significant point--that we have evidence that Saddam is up to no good. Remember that just last week there was a tanker leaving an Iraqi port, and it was intercepted by the U.S. Navy. They went aboard that ship. In the process, the ship sank. We lost two American sailors. We had to do that. He was smuggling oil. That is how he generates the cash-flow above and beyond that which is overseen by the U.N. inspectors.”