Political Quotes

“I wish to commend Chairman Levin, who has brought his usual thoughtful approach to these issues, and to thank him for his help specifically in two areas in which I have been interested. I also see my friend Senator McCain. He and I have worked often on these and other matters, and I thank him for his wise counsel as well. Mr. President, as I indicated, I am going to talk briefly on two amendments in which I have a special interest. The first is the amendment of Senator Udall to strike section 313 of the bill. As a member of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, I have followed closely the proposition that the Department of Defense is the single largest user of energy in the United States, with annual fuel expenditures in excess of $16 billion. This is an extraordinary thirst the Department of Defense has for energy. It creates a host of issues for the Pentagon, and fluctuations in global energy prices can have dramatic effects on defense spending. For every $10 increase in a barrel of oil, it costs the American military annually an extra $1.3 billion. Recognizing the potential instability DOD's current energy needs can cause, military experts from across the various branches of the armed services have begun looking at ways to cut energy use and find energy alternatives. I continue to hear all of this discussion about how this is somehow a ``green agenda,'' that it is a subversive plot and that it is being forced upon a resistant Pentagon.…”