Obama holds up chart showing U.S. dependence on foreign oil dropping from 60% in 2005 to 45% in 2011, during a speech in New Hampshire. Obama, chart in hand, presses his case on gas prices

Obama repeated his case, outlined in a speech last week, that there is “no silver bullet” to rising gas prices. He highlighted his administration’s effort to reduce dependence on foreign oil and boost development of alternative energy.
This week he introduced a new prop to illustrate his point. As Obama spoke, a chart popped up on television screens behind him. The graph showed U.S. dependence on foreign oil falling since 2005 — from 60% of net imports to 45% in 2011.

The White House handed out copies to the crowd. Obama told them to take it home — “it makes for a great conversation piece at parties.”

“Now, one reason our dependence on foreign oil is down is because of policies put in place by our administration and my predecessor’s administration. And whoever succeeds me will have to keep it up. This won’t be solved by one party or administration. It won’t be solved by slogans and phony rhetoric.”
Obama Seeks to End Subsidies for Oil and Gas Companies

With his re-election fate increasingly tied to the price Americans are paying at the gas pump, President Obama asked Congress on Thursday to end $4 billion in subsidies for oil and gas companies and vowed to tackle the country’s long-term energy issues while shunning “phony election-year promises about lower gas prices.”

Mr. Obama, in an appearance at Nashua Community College here, took a page out of his jobs strategy of last year, calling on Americans to contact their Congressional representatives and demand a vote on the oil subsidies in the next few weeks.

“You can either stand up for the oil companies, or you can stand up for the American people,” Mr. Obama said. “You can keep subsidizing a fossil fuel that’s been getting taxpayer dollars for a century, or you can place your bets on a clean-energy future.”