John Kerry: “this morning, Americans braced themselves for another week of devastating news about the gas pump. This morning…”

“this morning, Americans braced themselves for another week of devastating news about the gas pump. This morning, Americans learned again of the record increases in the price of oil in America. When they turn on the news tonight, they are not going to learn of anything that has been done by this Congress or the administration in the past months or even past years. They are not going to see Washington taking the necessary steps to end our dependency on foreign oil. Instead, people will see President Bush meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, a stark reminder of our dangerous dependence on foreign oil and how much that dependence threatens our economy as well as our national security. The President offers strong words against nations that sponsor terror, but for those in control of 65 percent of the world's oil supply, those words are compromised from the get-go. That is wrong, but it is fundamentally what happens when the administration is committed to an energy future that is dependent on oil, oil, and more oil, at all costs, even if that cost is our national security. The fact is, we are more dependent on foreign oil today than ever before. Despite the sharp rhetoric of the 1970s and the initial effort to try to be less dependent on oil, it has consistently increased. This dependence slows our economy, harms our environment, dilutes our national security, and it burdens Americans with the high gas prices they face today.…”