George Voinovich: “one of the true benefits of traveling overseas is it gives lawmakers an opportunity to see first hand the political…”

“one of the true benefits of traveling overseas is it gives lawmakers an opportunity to see first hand the political, social and economic conditions of nations that many of us only read about in the papers or see on the nightly news. It also allows us to see how these conditions in one part of the world can have a profound impact on an entirely different part of the world. So it was with my trip to the Middle East, where I was able to see how events there have a direct effect on events in the United States. Many people in our nation do not realize this, but there actually is an ``interconnectedness'' of issues between nations that sometimes we don't think about. One thing that I have thought a lot about since my visit is just how much the ``on-again/off-again'' peace process in the Middle East affects our nation's energy policy, particularly as it relates to our national security.”