A letter signed by 26 former national security officials from both Republican and Democratic administrations pleads with President Bush to recognize our growing dependence on foreign oil as a national security threat.

"We do not know today what form a crisis over oil will take, but we know that a crisis is coming-one that could harm the United States," wrote the signatories, including, among others, Robert C. McFarlane, R. James Woolsey, Frank J. Gaffney Jr., C. Boyden Gray and Timothy E. Wirth, members of the bipartisan Energy Future Coalition, which advocates for tighter fuel-economy standards and higher subsidies for alternative fuels. The letter, dated March 24, suggests research and development of substitute fuels be funded at a level proportionate with other defense priorities.

Specifially, the letter states, "We believe that: The United States' dependence on imported petroleum poses a risk to our homeland security and economic well being; that increasing petroleum consumption by developing economies like China and India will exacerbate this risk; some foreign interests have used oil revenues in ways that harm our national security; with only two percent of the world's oil reserves but 25 percent of world consumption, the United States cannot eliminate its need for imports through increased domestic production alone; an equivalent emphasis on demand-side measures-development and deployment of clean, domestic petroleum substitutes and increased efficiency in our transport system-is essential."

Advocates for alternative fuel projects have long argued that such projects would be a boon to the economy. The April issue of National Geographic mentions Spain now requires new and renovated structures to use solar panels in their design, estimating that a single two-meter solar panel can cut a home's yearly water heating bill by up to 70 percent. The story mentions that "global demand for solar power has grown at about 25 percent a year, with Japan, Germany and the U.S. leading the market."

President Carter installed solar panels on the White House roof; Ronald Reagan junked them. What will George Bush do?