text: is the us being held hostage for oil ? is senator john mccain, r-arizona, right in his statement?? no. we americans just like our comforts and conveniences. we're free to choose at anytime to do without the alleged  benefits of having petroleum available to us.  being a hostage is not a choice...it's being forced do something against one's will. nobody is forcing anybody to buy their oil; we do so voluntarily. the human race went on perfectly fine for millions of years before petroleum became popular.  senator mccain might be correct if he is convinced that he speaks for those who don't realize that every person has free will.  personally, i love the benefits of having petroleum available. i will choose to buy it for my comfort and convenience until such a time that i can't afford it anymore. it's no different than any other economic commodity.