In almost every presidential debate this political season, the subject of energy and energy security is discussed. Lugar, in this important and comprehensive presentation at the Brookings Institution, opines that “energy security and the economic issues closely associated with it should be the most important topic of the 2008 presidential election.” He quotes Edmund Andrews in the New York Times, “On oil, the parties fall into two camps: use less or find more.” Lugar embraces both approaches and criticizes some Democrats for taking nuclear power, coal, and oil exploration off the table.

Lugar believes a new U.S. President must elevate energy security to the status of a core national goal and must directly engage all the American people in that solution. The next President must be relentless in pursuing this goal and must be willing to have his or her administration judged according to its success or failure on this issue.

Lugar's proposed energy plan includes the following: mandates requiring the production of flex-fuel vehicles; widespread installation of E-85 pumps; increased CAFE standards; continued domestic oil exploration; the construction of nuclear power facilities using U.S. government-financed liability protection and loan guarantees; the successful commercialization of a plug-in hybrid vehicle; and the goal that every American motorist have access to competitively priced bio fuels.

Senator Lugar, who contributed an article to this journal entitled “Strengthen Diplomacy for the War on Terror” (which can be located in the archives) demonstrates once again why he is one of the contemporary “wise men” of American foreign policy.