In the Link I've provided----I don't disagree with what this Democrat says. In fact, much if not all of it, has been said by President Bush before. Maybe they just like it better when it's suggested by them.

"HELENA, Montana (AP) -- Montana's Democratic governor says President Bush is wrong on Iraq and has failed to recognize the importance of energy independence.

Gov. Brian Schweitzer, who learned Arabic while building irrigation projects in the Middle East for six years, said political solutions are needed in the region.

"Mr. President, there are animosities between Sunni and Shiite people in the Middle East that have developed over centuries," Schweitzer said Saturday in the Democrats' weekly radio address. "Outsiders cannot resolve this conflict unless the Iraqi people want security and freedom at least as much as us."
http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/01/...f=rss_politics

But I don't believe this Democrat Governor tells us the whole truth. He's saying now that if only we could become energy independent, we could---and would----stay out of world war's etc. But I doubt that. Democrats were quite "hawkish" during the Clinton administration. Democrats supported Clinton bombing Yugoslavia over an internal conflict there. And they would have supported troops had Clinton made that decision. Not to mention all the times the "rest of the world" would call on us and EXPECT us to solve the world's problems.

So, this Democrat may be fooling himself if he truly believes that becomming energy independent would result in "no more wars" for the U.S. I wished that were true, but I doubt it.

(Energy is supposed to be a large part of Bush's SOTU speech and thus why it's important for our discussion)

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"This is a time for a national imperative not to fail in Iraq." Condoleeza Rice, January 11, 2007

JP YA GOT TA LUV IT !! The label appaears to be the most important element of this thread. What exactly is your main issue JP ? Are you upset that the man said that we could become energy self sufficient. Or that he is correct but unfortunately he is a Democrat ? Or are we fighting over Clinton's iilegal and stupid war against Serbia ( Yugoslavia had ceased to exist by that time) ?

Just wondering!!!!!

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"I was born at night, but it was not last night night"

You gotta be able to think about several things at once, f100.

I think my post was rather clear.

1) I don't disagree with this Democrat. He's not the first to say these things. Bush has addressed becoming energy independent many times. I agreed with it when Bush said it and I STILL agee with it.

2) My criticism is with this Dem Governor believing that this would mean, "no more wars." And I gave examples of military actions we've involved ourselves in that have nothing to do with energy. Like Kosovo. Like Mogadishu. Like Haiti. Like Bosnia.

Got it now?

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"This is a time for a national imperative not to fail in Iraq." Condoleeza Rice, January 11, 2007

The points you make are good ones. I suppose your mistake is to introduce partisan politics into the mix.

The facts are pretty clear...many of our problems are in the Middle East, and oil always seems to play a factor when war in the ME is discussed. In reality, Bush has talked, but has done very little do actually promote energy independence. We have had warnings about impending oil shortages since 1973. Every President/politician in power since then has avoided the issue as "too hard to do" - so there is a lot of blame to pass around for not being energy independent.

If you look at the stated reasons for going to war, oil has never figured highly in the equation, so I disagree with the Governor in this conclusion. American as a superpower has some overblown notion of self-worth that makes us think we can impose our military solution to solve any world conflict. We've got to get rid of this notion, because it is wrong - then we will be involved in fewer wars.

So don't blame Republicans or Democrats, blame the American politician who believes he/she has the problem for everyone else's problems in the world, but fails to find solutions to the hard problems facing the US.

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Hobo
Charter member of 'Republicans Who Hate Bush" Club

Energy Independence would be grand....too bad the feds don't want it...

The feds dont even want CHEAPER GAS...Hugo Chavez was offering 1.50 gasoline in 14 states through Vallero, it complied with California's EPA ethanol regulations, making it some of the cleanest burning gasoline in the world..

the feds squashed it, disallowed, within a free-market.....Freedom ain't Free their now is it soldier?

of course, since Hugo is an incredibly Hawkish Opec Member, who would rather build a better infrastructure for his nation through high-volume sales, Rather then pony up to the "Good ole Boys club", NATURALLY, he's being demonized by anyone who's involved, whether its Bill Clinton Hutchinson Energies, or Bush's Spectrum 7/Arbusto merger empire...nobody's gonna like someone who's cutting into the profit..

So what happened to Independent Energy? it goes almost without saying that America's energy situation is precarious at best, and often times to root of various forms of violence, whether its worker strikes, bombing of refineries, or outright war between various Middle Eastern Cartels.

The Greenies, the World Wildlife Foundation, Greenpeace....

Strangely enough, EPA mandates prefere the drilling and refineing of gas to be handled by OPEC members, and developing nations, instead of the US, which obviously would drill and refine with the cleanest technology in the world...

but no, a bunch of Oil Lobbyists created the WWF, and now we prefere big boats filled with oil to truck out across the ocean, hopefully, it won't sink..

The Anwar bill...

as KBR rep Neil Pearce said, "We are unable to create an installation that would be cost condusive under the currently proposed Bill."

the Anwar Bills that are always introduced are so tied up in regulation even the Politician Owned energy companies dont want to give it a go..

if the resources won't be drilled, nobody wants to pass the bill, so they slap together some focus groups, tell them they can't do this, this and the other thing, viola, you have yourself an international monopoly..

revolt I say.