Cassandra as a role model for a politician

Dr James Schlesinger (former US energy secretary) said the following in an interview with David Strahan (the author of The Last Oil Shock):

"If you speak to people in the [oil] industry, they will concede... that whatever my company may say publicly, we understand that we are facing decline in our own production and worldwide we will not be able to produce more oil or liquids in the near future."

"One does not want to be the bearer of bad tidings. Cassandra has never been a appropriate role model for politicians. You do not ask the public to make sacrifices. If you concede that indeed a peak is coming that we should be making adjustments now, those adjustments are costly and the public will bear the costs... that is not the way to a successful re-election."

"What you hear privately from almost all [oil industry] people is, that we are coming to it [oil peak]"

"Energy independence is not attainable as long as we have the internal combustion engine."

"There is not going to be a turn around until there is a public support, and the public has to got be frightened... a serious crisis, which persuades that indeed the wolf is at the door."

"The reality is that concern about the supply of oil is always a consideration, because the Middle-East contains so much oil."

"War is not the way to increase [oil] production."

"We should be helping oil prices rise, particularly for gasoline."

"We are going to face a GREAT difficulty ahead."

[emphasis added]

He also admits that Saddam was stopped due to concerns over oil supply. Basically he concedes that the American military is and has been acting mainly in the role of oil supply protection for the past years in the Middle-East, be that Saudi Arabia, Iraq (or Iran in the future). Very candid and interesting interview.