Flashback: Romney’s No Apology

Mitt Romney touched on several issues involving jihad and the necessity for energy independence from the Middle East in his book, No Apology.  Some of the governor’s comments—which suggest that he has a far clearer understanding of global threats, foreign affairs, and national security than his opponent—are worth revisiting today.  Romney wrote:

• Radical Sunni & Shia “endeavor to cause the collapse of all competing economies and systems of government.”
• “In all forms of energy, Russia already is the largest exporter in the world, actually outpacing Saudi Arabia.”
• “Our dependence on foreign oil rose from 42% of our total consumption in 1990 to 58% today.”
• “Massive Saudi investment in Islamic study centers in Western universities is designed” to lull the West into inaction.
• “The [Ottoman] empire’s wealth was amassed from pillage and taxes.”

A presidential candidate who actually defends America and who is critical of aggressive rivals?  Very refreshing.

Freedom from Middle East oil

Sheldon Adelson has launched a new political action committee, the New American Energy Opportunity Foundation, and an advertising blitz in support of domestic drilling and energy production leading up to the Nov. 6 presidential election.  Take a look at this excellent ad in particular.  The audio of it has been running on conservative talk radio stations, too:

The opening of the spot says it all.  “When will America be free from Middle East oil?”  We’re getting there, despite Pres. Obama’s best efforts to retard domestic energy production and deny the fact that we have more energy resources than Saudi Arabia or Iran.  Barack Obama has reduced permits for drilling on federal lands and waters, he has obstructed the Keystone pipeline, and his EPA has delayed efforts to expand hydraulic fracturing—a technique which enables producers to drill for previously inaccessible oil and natural gas deposits.

Despite the president’s crummy record, oil companies have managed to boost domestic output on privately owned land and shift the balance of energy power away from OPEC back to the Americas.  Romney would strengthen this trend by supporting the initiatives that Obama has blocked.

Offshore oil production fell 14% under Obama

U.S. energy independence has improved in recent years due to boosted output through hydraulic fracturing and higher production on privately owned land.

The U.S. would be even less reliant on Saudi oil, and could have moved faster on adopting sanctions against Iranian oil, if it weren’t for the Obama administration’s obstructionism on drilling offshore.

Check out this Romney campaign graphic which lays out Pres. Obama’s lousy record on energy: