Don't Buy Rogue Oil

The United States could strike a heavy blow against radical Arab nations if we did something about our oil. Montana Republican Senator Conrad Burns had an excellent column in yesterday's Wall Street Journal titled, "Don't Buy Rogue oil." Senator Burns' point is that we are financing the terrorism that is being used against Israel and us because we buy oil from regimes that support terror. Why are we doing this?

We must reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We can do this by drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve, known as ANWR. It is environmentally safe. As Senator Burns writes, "Pulling Iraq oil out of the U.S. market would force Baghdad to slash prices - subject to U.N. approval - to try and unload the sudden oversupply."

That would force prices to drop and deprive Saddam of a lot of Western cash, which he needs to prop-up his regime. The United States consumes more crude oil than any other nation and Saddam would never be able to sell his oil elsewhere. It's a good strategy and a better policy. Let these evil people drown in their own oil. I'm Cal Thomas in Washington.