Iowa Senator Tom Harkin says the whole United States is the target of a big April Fools’ Day joke that’s not very funny. He says despite the fact that oil prices are at their highest level since the first Iraq war in 1991, despite the fact gasoline prices are at a record high, he says OPEC has decided to cut the production of oil by one-million barrels a day. Harkin, a democrat, says that cut would lead to even higher gas prices. Harkin says the proposed OPEC cut is serious business. He says,”Make no mistake, this production cut is a hostile act. It is a clear and present danger to our fragile economy and to the pocketbooks of working people of Iowa.” Harkin blames the administration for not putting pressure on the oil producing countries to change their minds. Harkin says the president should immediately stop buying oil for the U.S. strategic reserve, and efforts should be increase to find renewable fuels and end the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.He says he’s tired of Uncle Sam literally being held over a barrel, and he says he’s tired of America spending it’s treasure and sacrificing the lives of our troops to secure access to oil in the Middle East. He says we need presidential leadership, and leadership from Congress to make energy independence a top priority. Harkin was asked what the president can do. He says, “How about a little jawboning just to start with, that might be a little helpful.” He says stopping the purchase of high-priced oil for the strategic oil reserve is also important as he says it’s “nonsense” to buy oil at that price. He says we’ve spent hundreds of billions of dollars “making sure the oil doesn’t fall into the wrong hands and now it’s in the hands, so their in the hands of our friends and look what they do to us.” Harkin made his comments in his weekly conference call with reporters.
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