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Amid the ongoing situation in Ukraine, President Joe Biden is reportedly considering reaching out to Saudi Arabia for a solution to elevated gas prices caused by sanctions on Russia for its decision to invade its neighbor. But, some on the left are not too happy about this possibility. Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) criticized the idea, pointing out that the U.S. would be getting into bed with an unsavory actor.

On Sunday, Omar tweeted:

Our response to Putin’s immoral war shouldn’t be to strengthen our relationship with the Saudis who are currently causing the worst humanitarian crisis on the planet in Yemen.

Yemenis might not matter to some geopolitically but their humanity should. This is wildly immoral act.

You might be surprised that I’m saying this, but she’s right. The Saudis are guilty of perpetuating an atrocious humanitarian crisis in Yemen and the thought of being dependent on that regime is odious. But here’s the issue: Rep. Omar, like many of her comrades, is a huge part of the problem. Indeed, folks like her have been instrumental in putting the U.S. in a situation where they have to be reliant on countries like Saudi Arabia in the first place. Let’s take a look at some of her previous statements.

In 2020, she posted a tweet announcing that the Sierra Club endorsed her and vowed to work towards “accelerated transition from fossil fuels to a green economy.” She tweeted:

Half measures won’t cut it when it comes to combating this climate emergency. That’s why I am honored to have @SierraClub’s endorsement as we work toward:

-100% renewable energy

-An accelerated transition from fossil fuels to a green economy

-Zero-waste communities

Later in the same year, the lawmaker posted a tweet touting the Green New Deal and supported the idea of abandoning fossil fuels:

Fossil fuel corporations should not dictate how we treat our planet.

We need a Green New Deal and full divestment from fossil fuels, not pipelines and mining projects that threaten our land, water, and people.

This should not be complicated in 2020.

Axios on Sunday reported that “President Biden’s advisers are discussing a possible visit to Saudi Arabia this spring to help repair relations and convince the Kingdom to pump more oil.”

The report continued:

A hat-in-hand trip would illustrate the gravity of the global energy crisis driven by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Biden has chastised Saudi Arabia, and the CIA believes its de facto leader, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, was involved in the dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi.

The author also noted that “[d]iscussions about a potential visit are still in the early phases and officials cautioned a visit is far from finalized and may not happen.”

The bottom line is that people like Omar look silly complaining about the possibility that Biden might make overtures to the Saudi regime to help offset the cost of sanctioning Russia when it is they who have so zealously pushed back against any attempt to make America independent from other nations for oil. Even now, a number of prominent left-wingers have suggested that energy independence is not the way to prevent bad actors like Russian President Vladimir Putin from maintaining leverage over the west. Instead, they suggest that America more fully embrace green energy and do away with fossil fuels – a process that would take decades to accomplish.

As I wrote previously, if the left truly wished to prevent countries like Russia and Saudi Arabia from manipulating us, they would support the idea that America can become energy independent by producing our own oil and working toward renewable solutions in the future. Their refusal to do so reveals this is not really about green energy or being impervious to Putin’s machinations. Nevertheless, people like Omar will keep pretending to care about these issues while continuing to be part of the problem.

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