Andrew Bacevich Wields the Painful Truth:

In his compelling book, The Limits of Power, Andrew Bacevich cuts to the chase, telling the painful truths that we in the United States do not want to hear. 

Bacevich argues that:
The chief desire of the American people , whether they admit it or not, is that nothing should disrupt their access to ... goods, ... oil, and ... credit.  The chief aim of the U.S. government is to satisfy that desire, which it does in part though the distribution of largesse at home and in part through the pursuit of imperial ambitions abroad (largely the business of the executive branch.)

From time to time, various public figures - even presidents- make the point that dependence may not be a good thing.  Yet meaningful action to reduce this condition is notable by its absence.  It's not difficult to see why.  The centers of authority within Washington - above all, the White House and the upper echelons of  the national security state - actually benefit from this dependency. It provides the source of  status, power, and prerogatives.  Imagine the impact just on the Pentagon  were this country actually to achieve anything approaching energy independence.  U.S. Central Command would go out of business.  Dozens of bases in and around the Middle East would close. The navy's Fifth Fleet would stand down.  Weapons contracts worth tens of billions would risk being canceled.So rather than addressing the problem of dependence, members of our political class seem hell-bent on exacerbating it....

As a nation, we must begin living within our means. We must strive vigorously for energy independence.  And we must stop our misguided military adventures launched to sustain an imperial dominion vastly beyond our reach.

You can see a 2008 interview of Bacevich, conducted by Bill Moyers, at:   http://www.pbs.org/moyers/journal/08152008/watch.html