DAYTON -- Saying America needs a program for energy independence similar to the one that sent men to the moon in the 1960s, Barack Obama today called for an aggressive plan to break the nation's dependence on foreign oil as a way to keep it secure.

"The price of a barrel of oil is now one of the most dangerous weapons in the world," Obama said during a speech and town-hall meeting today at the Stivers School for the Arts in Dayton. "We must end the tyranny of oil in our time, in this generation."

The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee also criticized GOP opponent John McCain for not doing enough to promote energy independence, noting McCain has blamed "the failure of politicians in Washington to think long-term about the future of the country" during the past three decades.

"I couldn't agree more," Obama told a crowd estimated at about 1,300 people. "The only problem is that out of those 30 years, Senator McCain was in Washington for 26 of them. And in that time he has achieved little to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

Obama criticized McCain's energy proposals and approach for dealing with $4-a-gallon gasoline, saying a "gas-tax holiday" from federal gas taxes for the summer and increased off-shore drilling for oil if states allow it will not reduce prices or consumption.

But Obama, who has been opposed to additional off-shore drilling as a solution to the nation's energy crisis, left the door open to the idea if he was convinced it would work.

"In a country desperate for action, ideas like a gas tax holiday or expanded oil drilling in the waters off our coasts are popular," Obama said. "And I'll say this – if there were real evidence that these steps would actually provide real, immediate relief at the pump and advance the long-term goal of energy independence, of course I'd be open to them. But so far there isn't."

Instead, Obama outlined a series of steps he would take for short-term relief from gas prices, including:

•   A second, $50 billion stimulus package that would send energy rebate checks to every American.
•   A $1,000 middle-class tax cut that he said will go to 95 percent of all workers and their families
•   A "crack down" on oil speculators who may be artificially driving up the price of oil.

For the long term, Obama proposes:

•   A $150 billion investment over 10 years in a "clean energy fund" to help create fuel-efficient cars and alternative sources of energy. He said the plan would reduce U.S. oil consumption 10 million barrels per day by 2030.
•   Double fuel-mileage standards during the next two decades, which he said would save half a trillion gallons of gasoline, the equivalent of cutting the price of a gallon of gas in half. He also would provide tax credits and loan guarantees for automakers to help them reach that goal.
•   Launch a Venture Capital Fund that will provide $50 billion over five years to get the most promising clean energy technologies into the market, such as plug-in hybrid batteries that will allow cars to get up to 500 miles per gallon.
•   Require that 25 percent of the nation's electricity comes from renewable sources such as solar and wind power by 2025, and that the nation produce two billion gallons of advanced biofuels by 2013 to help create a market for alternative sources of energy.
•   Invest in finding cleaner ways to use coal and safer ways to use nuclear power and store nuclear waste.
•   Call on businesses, government, and the American public to make the nation 50 percent more energy efficient by 2030.

"The steps I just spoke about are not far-off, pie-in-the-sky solutions, they are now," Obama said, noting that the nation also mobilized after the attack on Pearl Harbor to a war-time economy when critics said it wasn't possible.

In a conference call preceding Obama's visit, Ohio Republican leaders criticized Obama for foreclosing options to increase the supply of oil and reduce the cost of gasoline.

"We are all suffering from the effects of $4 gasoline and these high prices demand that we do something now to provide relief," said Ohio GOP Deputy Chairman Kevin DeWine. "Barack Obama is willing to ignore these critical facts and stay true to the left wing party line despite his best efforts to present himself now as something of a centrist candidate."

Rather than support offshore drilling, DeWine said, "Obama wants to tell people no and he wants to tell people what cars they can drive and that they have to reduce consumption and change the way they live their lives."

Ohio House Speaker Jon A. Husted said that Ohio is a high-energy consumer because it is a manufacturing state therefore it is critical to have access to energy at affordable costs.

"Sen. Obama is not for expanding the supply and access of energy, which will ultimately drive up costs and hurt our economy," Husted said.

It was Obama's third visit to Ohio since he claimed the Democratic nomination, compared to five visits for McCain, who was in Portsmouth on Wednesday. Both candidates are expected to return to Cincinnati next week to address the NAACP national convention.

Dispatch Senior Editor Joe Hallett contributed to this story.