mr. delare? i'll ask you if you'd like to take a -- >> well, there's little to argue with in your statement date because it is the fact that our sanctions policies are oil producers and we are dependent on the external source of energy. i think we all wish to retrieve that we had many alternate sources of energy to depend on, but at this historical point in time we have to move carefully as to how we apply some of the tools provided to us and we can maintain the flow of energy to our market while still demonstrating a strong political message to certain types of behaviors are and accept the bull. >> and they think it is clear that venezuela and chavez in particular has been using american money in particular either to bribe or influence other nations in this hemisphere and the actions that they were encouraging them to take are often times diametrically opposed to what the united states best interest is. i think we basically have in venezuela now what we had in cuba over the last number of decade

mr. delare? i'll ask you if you'd like to take a -- >> well, there's little to argue with in your statement date because it is the fact that our sanctions policies are oil producers and we are dependent on the external source of energy. i think we all wish to retrieve that we had many alternate sources of energy to depend on, but at this historical point in time we have to move carefully as to how we apply some of the tools provided to us and we can maintain the flow of energy to our market while still demonstrating a strong political message to certain types of behaviors are and accept the bull. >> and they think it is clear that venezuela and chavez in particular has been using american money in particular either to bribe or influence other nations in this hemisphere and the actions that they were encouraging them to take are often times diametrically opposed to what the united states best interest is. i think we basically have in venezuela now what we had in cuba over the last number of decade

mr. delare? i'll ask you if you'd like to take a -- >> well, there's little to argue with in your statement date because it is the fact that our sanctions policies are oil producers and we are dependent on the external source of energy. i think we all wish to retrieve that we had many alternate sources of energy to depend on, but at this historical point in time we have to move carefully as to how we apply some of the tools provided to us and we can maintain the flow of energy to our market while still demonstrating a strong political message to certain types of behaviors are and accept the bull. >> and they think it is clear that venezuela and chavez in particular has been using american money in particular either to bribe or influence other nations in this hemisphere and the actions that they were encouraging them to take are often times diametrically opposed to what the united states best interest is. i think we basically have in venezuela now what we had in cuba over the last number of decade

mr. delare has spoken to the issue of our energy concerns in this regard, so there's a whole array of different into effect, and i think mr. whitaker may have more to add on that. >> if i could just add on with a coup of points here. u.s. policy in venezuela as a number of folks want u.s. national security and counternarcotics and counterterrorism, all of those are very important to us. we would need to weigh, it seems to me, the effect of sanctions we take on issues like that. the ambassador mentioned the effect it would haveof a sanction against venezuela when venezuela views colombia as a close ally of the united states, how would venezuela then react with respect to its dip diplomac efforts in colombia? that's unknown to me, but it's out there. again, that might be an avenue or a place whe the venezuelan government would seek to identify that group and take some action in response to an action that we took. finally, we have many u.s. companies in venezuela, and it's our goal as the department of state to understand eir interests,efend their interests. and we would need to take into account