Peter Welch: “First of all, Mr. Perlmutter is right, oil has made us vulnerable in foreign policy. A big reason we are in Iraq clearly…”

“First of all, Mr. Perlmutter is right, oil has made us vulnerable in foreign policy. A big reason we are in Iraq clearly is related to oil. I think we have to be much straighter with the American people than Congress has been. We are doing two things here. One, with this legislation, the price gouging legislation, we are providing basic protection against rip-offs, and that is just the fundamental responsibility that people's government has is to make sure that the people with a lot of money, corporate power, don't use that power to rip them off. That is one. Second, we have to develop an energy policy. An energy policy, as has been said, is going to give us a lot more freedom in foreign policy, not create these enormous pressures to get involved in wars that we shouldn't be involved in. Secondly, it is obviously good for the environment. Third, as the gentleman from Iowa (Mr. Braley) has been saying, it is good for the economy. The legislation we have to pass is not just on protecting the consumer, it is about creating a projobs, pro-high-tech, progrowth approach to addressing in a straightforward, confident way the energy challenge that we face.”