Sam Gibbons: “since the Gulf War, our pilots have been patrolling the skies over Iraq, trying to keep Saddam Hussein contained and in…”

“since the Gulf War, our pilots have been patrolling the skies over Iraq, trying to keep Saddam Hussein contained and in check. On June 26 of this year, Iraqi forces fired an antiaircraft missile at our aircraft. We responded, of course, by shooting back and defending ourselves against this aggression. Yet Saddam Hussein is much more than an enemy that regularly tries to kill or capture American pilots. The country Iraq is currently a significant part of the American economy by providing us with oil. In the first quarter of this year, we bought $1.2 billion of Iraqi oil, according to the Energy Information Administration. Where do my colleagues think this money goes? Mr. Speaker, it goes straight to Saddam Hussein's government, straight to the $25,000 reward checks he gives to families of each Palestinian suicide bomber. We import nearly a million barrels a day from this madman. More than 10 percent of our oil imports come from Iraq, and yet Saddam Hussein still would like nothing more than a downed American pilot to show the world. It is time our energy policy got in line with our foreign policy. It is time to reduce our dependency on foreign oil. Mr. Speaker, if it is worth fighting for over there, it is worth exploring for here at home.”