McCain's Addiction to Oil Money will Ensure U.S. Remains Hostage to Azerbaijani Energy

August 4, 2008
LOS ANGELES, CA - In a new campaign unveiled today, Democratic Presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama underscores his presumptive Republican challenger's compromising ties to big oil companies, a point driven home by the revelation that Sen. John McCain has already received more than $1.1 million in contributions from oil companies and their executives.

In a major policy speech Monday, Obama discussed America's "addiction to oil" and delineated an energy plan, which among other elements proposed a windfall profits tax on big oil corporations that would be used to provide a $1,000 rebate to people struggling with high energy costs.

The new ad campaign also drew a linkage between the environmentally destructive and economically unsustainable policies supported by Senator McCain as a member of Congress for the past 26 years and the large-scale generosity of the energy industry in supporting his campaign for the presidency.

The policies pursued by Senator McCain would ensure that the U.S. remains a hostage to nations, such as Azerbaijan, which have large oil and gas reserves but are major human rights violators and remain sources of regional instability.

"It would be more of the same with a McCain Administration in the White House. The Arizona Senator would - as he has for the better part of the last three decades - continue supporting big oil companies that profit from high gas prices and are pouring billions of dollars into countries like Azerbaijan, which lack the basic principles of human rights," said Areen Ibranossian Chairperson of Armenians for Obama.

In his major policy speech on energy Monday, Obama urged Americans to look inward to resolve the energy crisis and proposed concrete steps to wean the US from foreign oil dependence in 10 years.

"The Armenian-American community appreciates the innovative approach to this very critical global issue and believes that progressive approaches such as the ones presented today by Sen. Obama would ensure a safer more prosperous future for all Americans, while discouraging big corporations from investing in undemocratic regimes such as Azerbaijan," added Ibranossian.

Armenians for Obama is a nationwide voter registration, education, and mobilization effort dedicated to electing Barack Obama President. Based in Los Angeles, and with chapters and affiliates in all 50 States, Armenians for Obama will harness the energy and enthusiasm for Barack Obama's candidacy to ensure record high Armenian American turnout in critical battleground states.