It would be hard to say how often President Barack Obama and leaders in his administration have talked of reducing America’s dependence on oil imported from unstable or autocratic nations.
In his 2008 campaign, for instance, he said that within 10 years, the United States could end its need to import oil from the Middle East and Venezuela, in part by spending more tax dollars on wind, solar and other alternative energy.
So it was surprising, to say the least, when he recently pleaded with dictatorial nations such as Saudi Arabia to increase their oil production. He said those countries should boost output to stabilize gasoline prices.
“We are in a lot of conversations with the major oil producers like Saudi Arabia to let them know that it’s not going to be good for them if our economy is hobbled because of high oil prices,” the president told a TV station in Detroit.
He said rising prices were harming the U.S. economy, which in turn would reduce revenue to the Saudis and other oil-producing countries.