From James Buchanan - 7.4.08. . And so we have become again a dependent nation. We borrow from Europe and Japan to defend the oil of Europe and Japan in the Persian Gulf. We borrow from China to buy the goods of China. We are as dependent on foreign borrowing as we are on foreign oil. And the questions arise: If the men of '76, who led those small and vulnerable states, were willing to sacrifice their lives, fortunes and sacred honor for America's independence, what is the matter with us?