Reid: Oil dependency makes America vulnerable

U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Searchlight) said America needs to eliminate its dependency on oil or face the risk of growing threats to its national security during his speech at the Democratic National Convention Wednesday night.

"If we continue to follow this slippery, oil-slicked, downward-winding path, our citizens will shiver in darkness as our resources hemorrhage to Third World thugs whose only virtue is their control of petroleum-based energy," Reid said.

Reid's speech paralleled his words on the Fox Business channel back in July, where he declared: "Coal makes us sick. Oil makes us sick. It's global warming. It's ruining our country. It's ruining our world. We've got to stop using fossil fuels."

On Wednesday night, Reid said electing U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) to the White House may be the beginning of a long, complicated solution to America's energy crisis.

After outlining Obama's support for various alternative energy technologies, including wind, geothermal and solar power generation, Reid attacked the off-shore drilling policies as supported by most Republicans, including U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), as a "quick-and-easy answer" that doesn't exist.

"White House analysts, congressional analysts, and the oil industry all agree that off-shore drilling won't add one drop to our energy pool for at least 10 years," Reid said. "The way things are going now, in another 10 years we won't need more oil; nobody will be able to afford it."