Press Release on Petraeus Hearings

Senate Candidate Jay Buckey Calls for New Energy Policy In Strategic Approach to Iraq

Lebanon, NH – US Senate Candidate Dr. Jay Buckey responded to the Congressional testimony of General David Petraeus today by calling for a strategic approach to Iraq that takes into account one of the root causes for our involvement in the Persian Gulf: our country’s dependence on foreign oil.

"Tactical discussions about troop deployment and withdrawal ignore the strategic context of US involvement in the Persian Gulf,” said Buckey, a Democratic candidate to represent New Hampshire in the U.S. Senate. He noted that the 1980 Carter Doctrine declared access to Persian Gulf Oil a vital national security interest that would be protected with military force if threatened.

“The long-term solution to US involvement in Iraq lies in our energy policy,” said Buckey. “Ending our dependence on foreign oil and developing a New Energy Economy is a vital national security interest that the Bush administration and its supporters, including John Sununu, are simply ignoring.”

Buckey also addressed the tactical issues: “The Bush administration has violated an important principle of military policy by leaving our military leaders with no good options,” he said. “Also, our military force is being stretched far too thin, leaving us vulnerable to growing threats.”

“All decisions are about trade-offs,” Buckey explained. “The Bush administration has decided that continuing a failed occupation in Iraq takes priority over all other national security interests.“