Today, five years after the Senate passed the Iraq War Resolution, men and women in our military are still fighting and dying in Iraq. If we want to move forward, we must face difficult strategic questions, not just discuss dates and numbers of brigades. If you're talking about Iraq and you’re not talking about energy, then you're not really talking about Iraq.
I didn’t support the Iraq War Resolution in 2002, but now that we are involved in the war, there’s no easy way out. Our military and diplomatic options in the Persian Gulf are severely hindered by our dependence on oil.
The debate about how to end the war should be about more than troop numbers or timetables for withdrawal. Successfully drawing down our troops in Iraq must be accompanied by drawing down our oil consumption and committing ourselves to developing technology for safe, renewable energy sources.
The global economy, the environment, and our national security all depend on America rising to the challenge of creating a new energy economy. As an astronaut, I know what this nation can do when we commit ourselves to a program. If we had an Apollo Program for energy, we could regain control over our future, stimulate our economy, and inspire the world.
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I'm running for US Senate from New Hampshire in 2008. Find out more at buckey08.com.