America’s Strategic Vulnerability

John has just written a new article on the US and energy policy, which can be found at the National Review Online. Below is a small excerpt.

America’s dependency on foreign oil is a major strategic vulnerability for our nation. One element in al Qaeda’s war against us is to target the U.S. economy by driving up the price of oil in the hope that severe recession and higher inflation will follow. Osama bin Laden and other al Qaeda terrorists have spoken many times about the need to “mount … operations accordingly” in order to hit energy supply points in the Middle East and other regions to spike oil prices. Moreover, while most of the world’s known reserves are in the Persian Gulf, oil supplies are no more secure elsewhere on the globe. In Russia and Venezuela, Vladimir Putin and Hugo Chavez have rolled back democracy and utilized oil and gas as foreign policy weapons. Nigerian supplies — our fifth-largest supplier — are endangered by internal strife. Oil’s availability is uncertain and its price at the mercy of countries where our values aren’t typically shared and our interests aren’t their first priority.

The full article can be found here.

Military Families Support Sen. McCain

Below is an excerpt from a piece in the Portsmouth Herald, by Michael Mccord:

During the Republican debate earlier this month in Durham, Mark Riss critiqued former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's comment comparing his sons helping his campaign to military men and women serving their country.

At the time of the debate, Riss and his wife, Deb, were awaiting the return of their son, Dan, from his second tour in Iraq as a member of the N.H. National Guard.

Riss, a Dover resident and Strafford County deputy sheriff, said the recent debate helped the couple decide to support Sen. John McCain. The couple also have been named co-chairmen of New Hampshire Military Families for McCain Coalition.

"That night at the debate, it was clear to me that McCain had the right idea," Mark Riss told the Herald. "It's a conflict we have to win. Not just Iraq, it's an ideological battle, a generational conflict. ... I like the fact that McCain was as horrified about the way the war was being handled as we were."

Deb Riss said every vote she has made in the past three elections has been with the war, and how it's been handled, foremost in her mind.

McCain "just seems to be very honest and sincere in what he says," she said. "He is compassionate and understands.

The full article can be found here.

One of the most important reasons why I support John McCain is his status as a veteran, and what he has done to help other American veterans while in office. I know, as do many others, that he will not ignore them or their needs, or betray their interests for political gain. I cannot say the same for others, especially Mitt Romney. To be honest, I don't really like him. As far as I can tell, he is a political weasel, a Republican version of John Kerry whose views shift in the wind as the political climate changes. I don't think I am alone in this belief. I don't agree with Senator McCain 100% of the time, but I do know that I can trust him to carry out what we do agree upon. I do not feel the same way with Mitt Romney.

Response to Columbia's Disgrace

Here is Senator McCain's full response to the President of Iran speaking at Columbia University:

I still find it astonishing and astounding that Columbia University would welcome the president of a country that has not only dedicated itself to a policy of extinction of the state of Israel, but as he is speaking, most of the lethal and explosive devices are being exported from Iran into Iraq, endangering and taking the lives of brave Americans who are serving. Meanwhile, Columbia University's belief in free speech does not extend to Reserve Officers' Training Corps units being allowed on their campus to attract outstanding young men and women to serve in the military.

I must say, that while I certainly think that Universities should be places where what could otherwise not be said can be said, if only to serve the interests of debate, this move by Columbia is foolish to no small degree. Debate cannot be advanced with a speech by this man. Ahmadinejad is a religious fanatic, he cannot be reasoned or debated with. This only goes to show that nearly any sin can be pardoned by the Academic Left, so long as you are anti-Bush/anti-Israel these days. Disgusting.

Address to the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference

John McCain spoke before the Mackinac Republican Leadership Conference in Michigan on Saturday. Below is the introduction to his speech:

Thank you for that kind introduction. It is an honor to speak to this 27th biennial Republican Leadership Conference. I stand before you at a perilous time, a perilous time for our party but, far more important, a perilous time for our country.

We face an implacable enemy dedicated to our destruction. We face criticism at home and abroad. Some doubt that we can prevail against our enemies -- Islamic extremists that operate in Europe, the Americas, Africa, the Middle East and Asia. Just this month, terrorist plots were uncovered in Denmark and Germany that had the potential to kill hundreds or thousands demonstrating how serious the threat is, yet much of Washington remains mired in irresolution and defeatism.

Your conference theme of "Relying on our Roots" is appropriate for my message today. Michigan has a fine tradition of leadership in the Republican Party, including the late President Ford. But I would like to speak to you about another exemplary leader of our party whose roots of leadership and wisdom we should also remember and rely on. Three decades ago, a visionary politician described the dangers in the world. It was, like today, a time when some doubted America's goodness and greatness. Many argued for reconciliation with our global adversary. But this man held firm. He did not care what editorial boards wrote about him. He did what he thought was right. He criticized the liberal Democrats' foreign policy of weakness and vacillation. He called for resolve and firmness in dealing with the Soviet Union. And, he refused to condemn millions to perpetual Communist tyranny in the false hope that accommodating the Soviet Union would contribute to America's security.

You can read the whole speech here.