Why is John McCain treating our national security, literally, as a joke?
This week, Senator John McCain made clear that you shouldn't try to combat the rising cost of gas by checking your car's tire pressure, so your car gets more per gallon (something everyone from Al Gore to President Bush, from Joe Lieberman to Barack Obama, from NASCAR to environmental groups say you should do). He's even mocking the idea by handing out "joke" tire pressure gauges, and has a new childish web video out making a joke out of it.
But this is no joke.
In fact, it's so serious that I'd ask everyone to buy tire pressure gauges - available at sites like this -- because ultimately this is about our national security and our troops. Maybe John McCain wants to mock those things, but I sure don't.
Using less Middle East oil puts us in a stronger position to demand security in the region and fight terrorist organizations which often get much of their funding through oil profits. Using less Middle East oil could also keep us out of future wars, and save the lives of those Americans serving in uniform.
According to TIME magazine, John McCain's sole idea to "drill here and drill now" won't produce oil until the year 2030, and then it will only be 200,000 barrels per day. In comparison, the government estimates that if everyone made sure their car tires were fully inflated, we could start to reduce our oil consumption by 800,000 barrels per day, right now.
Imagine how much less Middle East oil we would consume if everyone checked their tires and made sure they were at full pressure. Over the course of the Bush administration, that would be about 2.3 billion barrels of oil we could have not gotten from the Middle East. All just by using the simple tire pressure gauge that John McCain thinks is a joke.
Here's something else that is no joke. Senator McCain has gotten $2 million from big oil, and in return, he's blocking investment into alternative energy, like wind and solar power. Here's just a sliver of what hasn't seen the light of day because Senator No has blocked it: a Renewable Energy Tax Credit Extension Worth 116,000 Jobs Per Year, Billions in Tax Credits For Renewable Energy Production, $290 Million For R&D On Renewable Energy, Including Wind Power. And, Senator McCain cast the deciding vote to cut funding for the Rural Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Program from $23 Million To $3 Million. All of these things would have led to us needing to purchase billions of fewer barrels of oil from the Middle East.
Laughing yet? Because those of us who love America and our troops sure aren't.
Maybe John McCain wants to mock the idea of simple ways we can use less oil and protect America and our troops, while blocking efforts to get off Middle East oil, but we take it dead serious.
This is about America's security and about whether we get sucked into military conflicts in the future to protect oil interests.
I say, show Senator McCain that he and his Big Oil buddies are the only ones laughing. Buy a tire pressure gauge right now to help America start buying 800,000 fewer barrels of oil a day.
Oh, and if you have the extra 89 cents to buy two, send the second one to John McCain with a note -- "America's security is no joke."
Crossposted at VetVoice.com