[Culturechat] A washingtonpost.com article from: samovar9@aol.com

Sun, 13 Feb 2005 15:24:50 EST

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http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/02=
1105dnedioil.4bdc4.html=20

The Prius Patriots: Why conservatives are garaging their gas hogs

06:33 PM CST on Thursday, February 10, 2005

 Since when do right-wing Washington he-men drive Priuses, the compact Toyot=
a=20
hybrid cars that get an estimated 60 mpg on the highway? Aren't those=20
supposed to be the cars of choice for pale-faced tree-huggers and liberal co=
llege=20
professors too timid to roar down the highway in an eight-cylinder SUV? How=20=
come=20
some prominent neoconservative hawks have been spotted motoring along the=20
Beltway behind the wheel of a Prius?
=20
Patriotism, that's why. Former CIA director Jim Woolsey and defense analyst=20
Frank Gaffney, both backers of the Iraq war, have come to realize that the=20
national security of the United States depends on freeing ourselves from=20
dependency on Mideast oil. Driving gas guzzlers keeps our nation in debt to=20=
the kinds=20
of regimes that do not have our best interests at heart. Besides, where do y=
ou=20
think the Saudis have acquired the money to spread Islamic extremism and the=
=20
terrorism it engenders worldwide? Largely from American consumers.

 These conservatives know that oil industry experts predict the world's=20
petroleum output will peak sometime in the next decade =E2=80=93 this at a t=
ime when India=20
and China are rapidly expanding their industrial economies, making the globa=
l=20
competition for increasingly scarce oil supplies more fierce. Barring some=20
miracle, the price of oil will rocket skyward in the coming years and decade=
s.=20
The days of cheap fossil fuels are gone for good. As Mr. Gaffney put it=20
recently, weaning ourselves from foreign oil is "a national security imperat=
ive."

 A generation ago, President Jimmy Carter gave a memorable televised address=
=20
in which he urged the nation to learn to conserve energy, to live within=20
limits, in order to break our dependency on oil-producing thugocracies. The=20=
speech=20
was a disaster =E2=80=93 it's now remembered as the "malaise" speech =E2=80=
=93 and no=20
American president since then has ever proposed the same sensible policies.=20=
Rather,=20
as historian Andrew Bacevich points out, every president has made defending=20=
our=20
oil supply Priority No. 1 in the Middle East.

 If Americans are unwilling to make personal sacrifices like Messrs. Gaffney=
=20
and Woolsey are making, argues Mr. Bacevich, then they will fight war after=20
war in the 21st century. Mr. Bacevich is no peacenik, but a conservative who=
=20
understands the gravity of the situation facing the nation he loves.=20
Conservatives are becoming gas conservationists not for the sake of Mother E=
arth, but for=20
the sake of America. Three cheers for the Prius patriots!

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<HTML><HTML>http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent=
/dws/dn/opinion/editorials/stories/021105dnedioil.4bdc4.html 
 
The Prius Patriots: Why conservatives are garaging their gas hogs=
 
 
06:33 PM CST on Thursday, February 10, 2005 
 
 Since when do right-wing Washington he-men drive Priuses, the compact Toyot=
a hybrid cars that get an estimated 60 mpg on the highway? Aren't those supp=
osed to be the cars of choice for pale-faced tree-huggers and liberal colleg=
e professors too timid to roar down the highway in an eight-cylinder SUV? Ho=
w come some prominent neoconservative hawks have been spotted motoring along=
 the Beltway behind the wheel of a Prius? 
 
Patriotism, that's why. Former CIA director Jim Woolsey and defense analyst=20=
Frank Gaffney, both backers of the Iraq war, have come to realize that the n=
ational security of the United States depends on freeing ourselves from depe=
ndency on Mideast oil. Driving gas guzzlers keeps our nation in debt to the=20=
kinds of regimes that do not have our best interests at heart. Besides, wher=
e do you think the Saudis have acquired the money to spread Islamic extremis=
m and the terrorism it engenders worldwide? Largely from American consumers.=
 
 
 These conservatives know that oil industry experts predict the world's petr=
oleum output will peak sometime in the next decade =E2=80=93 this at a time=20=
when India and China are rapidly expanding their industrial economies, makin=
g the global competition for increasingly scarce oil supplies more fierce. B=
arring some miracle, the price of oil will rocket skyward in the coming year=
s and decades. The days of cheap fossil fuels are gone for good. As Mr. Gaff=
ney put it recently, weaning ourselves from foreign oil is "a national secur=
ity imperative." 
 
 A generation ago, President Jimmy Carter gave a memorable televised address=
 in which he urged the nation to learn to conserve energy, to live within li=
mits, in order to break our dependency on oil-producing thugocracies. The sp=
eech was a disaster =E2=80=93 it's now remembered as the "malaise" speech=20=
=E2=80=93 and no American president since then has ever proposed the same se=
nsible policies. Rather, as historian Andrew Bacevich points out, every pres=
ident has made defending our oil supply Priority No. 1 in the Middle East.<B=
R>
 
 If Americans are unwilling to make personal sacrifices like Messrs. Gaffney=
 and Woolsey are making, argues Mr. Bacevich, then they will fight war after=
 war in the 21st century. Mr. Bacevich is no peacenik, but a conservative wh=
o understands the gravity of the situation facing the nation he loves. Conse=
rvatives are becoming gas conservationists not for the sake of Mother Earth,=
 but for the sake of America. Three cheers for the Prius patriots!<FO=
NT COLOR=3D"#000000" FACE=3D"Geneva" FAMILY=3D"SANSSERIF" SIZE=3D"2">=
</HTML>

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