For the long-term, what you suggest is the most rational path. If I'm not mistaken, every president since Richard Milhouse Nixon has tried to enact a long-term energy policy to address the problem of international dependence. Most of the really meaningful proposals come with a good bit of pain to the voters. Congress likes to give voters pretty colors and shiny things, not pain. So Congress (whichever party runs it) removes the painful stuff and enacts the portions with pretty colors and shiny objects. The major parties take-up the battle against each other and argue through mischaracterization of the plan(s) and ad hominem attacks. Then the president & congress declare victory and return to jousting over inconsequential things like flag burning. This inability to do a damned thing feeds conspiracy theorists who think government couldn't possibly be so incompetent and shallow, so there must be a gov behind the scenes that actually runs things.

Since in the long term we have no plan, we absolutely must protect ourselves from megalomaniacal dictators in the short term. Else, the world spirals into economic ruin and starvation.

B