Obama urges a break from oil addiction

DAYTON, Ohio, July 11 (UPI) -- U.S. Sen. Barack Obama, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, said the nation's "oil addiction" seriously threatens national security in the 21st century.

"The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world," Obama told an audience in Dayton, Ohio. "Tyrants ... use it to prop up their regimes, intimidate the international community and hold us hostage to a market that is subject to their whims."

If Iran can cut off the petroleum-rich Strait of Hormuz, one speculator predicted the pump price for a gallon of gasoline would be $12, Obama said.

The senator reiterated previous proposals as he outlined his plans for a new energy policy, including support for research and development into alternative fuels and raising fuel efficiency standards.

Obama derided calls for to open protected areas to drilling, which his likely Republican challenger Sen. John McCain of Arizona supports.

"When it comes to offshore drilling, even Senator McCain has acknowledged that it won't provide short-term relief," Obama said. "Meanwhile, the oil companies currently have the rights to drill on 68 million acres of land and offshore areas that they haven't touched."

Obama said the energy challenge wouldn't be easy and would take time.

"But if we're willing to work at it, and invest in it and sacrifice for it," Obama said, "then I believe that we too will be able to do it if we really try."