The Iraqi government installed by the United States is “negotiating” for multiple-decade oil rights contracts from Iraq to the likes of Exxon and BP.

Now you’ve hit on the core issue of the invasion/occupation, the surge and the fathom timetable for leaving. The only thing keeping us in Iraq, other than the intransigence of that petulant child in the White House unable to own up to his huge blunder, is the finalization of the oil deals. Note that when the Kurds signed compacts with China last year for the development of some of their oil, the US went ballistic because no US-based companies were included in the bidding.

You’ll remember that early on in the marketing stages of this disaster, Bush told international countries and companies that unless they participated in the attack of Iraq they would be left out of getting a share the spoils.

I’ve been saying this since the sabres began to rattle in 2002 and I believe it more strongly each day. I am convinced that the decision to invade Iraq, for it’s oil, yes, but as much for other reasons was made by Cheney and Rumsfeld well before they selected GWBush to be their sock puppet Presidential candidate for 2000. I believe these two thugs with some military brass (think recent NYT article about retired generals as war cheerleaders) and defense industry executives decided to A) finish the Gulf War with the invasion of Baghdad they had envisioned but didn’t get; B) depose and execute Saddam as vengence for an alleged assasination attempt on Bush I; C) execute Saddam as he knows too many secrets about the chemical weapons delivered in the ’80′s by Bush I, Cheney and Rumsfeld; D) isolate and surround Iran; E) provide the political cover of the moniker “war time President” to assert their push for unitary president; F) through (E), provide lucrative no-bid contracts to members of their cabal and, finally; E) get the oil.

We get it – it’s both laughable AND infuriating at the same time.

The Iraqi government installed by the United States is “negotiating” for multiple-decade oil rights contracts from Iraq to the likes of Exxon and BP. Wonder who makes out on that one? I do hope these executives will have the chance to visit out fabulous new multi-billion dollar “Vatican II” embassy in Iraq when they arrive for the signing.

Maybe China should liberate Iowa and then negotiate a 20 year deal for all the corn production in the state. That should go over well too.

On the other hand, in terms of taxing a different commodity in Afghanistan – opium – I would be entirely open to that.

How about legalizing cocaine and taxing it, thus saving taxpayers hundreds of billions in law enforcement and incarceration expenses, all the while restoring some personal liberties, raising revenues, and removing the near-monopoly Afghanistan has over opium production? Oh — almost forgot to mention the lower property crime rates, diminished power of gangs and organized crime, and reduction in government corruption that would be an unavoidable consequence of such a radical action.

Too risky you say? We can’t have a few individuals accidentally addicted to cocaine (instead of the more palatable and socially acceptable Oxycontin), lest they wind up in some mythical Hell for all eternity. Better that the rest of us sacrifice some freedom today so that these souls can be kept from temptation. It’s a moral imperative, just like the war against these “evildoers” in Iraq, Iran, Syria, and whomever else might seek to live independently of our enlightened ways.

“FREE IRAQ!”

“Play it pretty for Atlanta…”

http://www.motherjones.com/mojoblog/archives/2008/04/7891_iraq_hoarding_o.html

Der a Wolfowitz…

“On March 27, 2003, Wolfowitz told a Congressional panel that oil revenue earned by Iraq alone would pay for Iraq’s reconstruction after the Iraq war; he testified: “The oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but … We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Wolfowitz#Wolfowitz.27s_economic_arguments_pertaining_to_the_Iraq_War

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Sounds like a good deal, ( so ) why is everyone so mad at Bush?

Not that it makes a lot of difference, but I, and plenty of others like me, opposed the war from the beginning. And if I were Iraqi, I think I’d probably feel the same way you do. I say ‘probably’ only because I can’t really know how you feel.

I think it must have been tongue-in-cheek
- maybe some thought or sentence got left out.

Dunno.

JT, that was a rhetorical question, right?

It is bewildering to me how the media has bought this assertion that the Iraqis are responsible for what has occurred during an invasion of their country. I continue to be amazed that even those far more eloquent and thoughtful than I will ever be, repeat this illogical thesis as though it were sound reasoning. We’ve cut the cultural and virtual legs out from under them and we pose the argument (with a large political masquerade ball) about standing up on their own feet ??

Just as Mission Accomplished should be insulting to the free world, so should the notion that Iraqis brought this on themselves. We invaded the LEADING Secular Nation in the Middle East, replaced it with an Theocracy and ignited not just one … but several civil wars. We’ve crippled our military, and all but guaranteed that to get our military in order we will go into further debt and have to get creative to restore faith in our Guard and Reserve Programs.

I’m also deeply offended every time I hear someone refer to the Iraqis (as a people) being responsible for their demise. Their leadership are puppets in a largest production of Punch and Judy ever performed. We’re talking about costs – yet the Iraqi workforce has essentially been shut out of the process of reconstruction. The Iraqi leadership is in concert with renegade contractors empowered by the US and the Iraqi people have to be further dissed ??

Just what would the Iraqi’s pay with ?? Oil revenues that they have only a portion of the proceeds because Paul Bremmer saw to it that 95 percent of Iraqi’s oil is controlled by foreign oil companies and the money doesn’t pass through.

There are many sources to understand precisely what is not being discussed in the American Press. Sinan Antoon and the documentary film ‘About Baghdad’ are a good start. I know I’ll hear from-the- bag-of-poop-on-fire-on-your-porch cadre of students posing as a poster but Al Jazeera – English and reporting from Washington DC, although, curiously, many broadband providers block the broadcast and no major cable providers carry the feed in the US. However, it is available everywhere else in the world. This freedom is catching on like wildfire….

Here’s an analogy from experience (partly). I was when young, I was one of those overgrown schoolyard bullies that took advantage of my size to terrorize smaller students. Bad character abd bad Karma, I agree.

Suppose I knocked some kid down and tore the top buttons off their shirt (from grabbing and twisting it). Now I tell the kid I will buy them a new shirt, but they need to give me a few quarters to help defray costs….. Does that seem like a reasonable request on my part?

And you point is? Do you really believe Iraqis should pay for their “liberation” when they had no choice in the matter, when the real motivation was oil, when 600,000 Iraqis have been killed, when we continue to occupy them, when we bombed that country back a hundred years and did not bother even to set up running water and electricity after 5 years of occupation?

As an alum, I find your lack of knowledge of Middle East foreign policy an outrage and an embarrassment.

Shame on the media for finding a couple of squakers and making it sound like they speak for 25 million Iraquis.