Why aren't Dems talking about OIL motive for Iraq War?

[yurbud]

I'm heartened by their recent boldness, but they are still eerily silent on the real case for war and instead still focus on the hokum about WMDs and terrorists that shouldn't have fooled anyone in either house with any military experience or who was old enough to remember the Cold War.

The Russians didn't dare nuke us because we could wipe them off the map, and the reverse was also true. Even if a country like Iraq had a dozen nukes, successfully using them on us or giving them to someone who uses them on us would automatically result in the destruction of that country, and Saddam did not have a death wish--he was negotiating his exile right up to the end.

The oil motive has been pretty well documented by Greg Palast and others.

Public antipathy toward oil companies is already running high, and Democrats touched on that secret Cheney energy task force when the oil execs testified.

This could make the oil industry as big an albatross as the religious right if this card was played forcefully, and not incidentally, it would be the honest and democratic thing to do.

Why aren't they running this up the flag pole with the public?

[MercutioATC]

1. Other:

There are enough concrete facts to work with without bringing conjecture into the discussion.

[Democrats_win]

2. I was brain-washed by lying Republicans that¨"it´s not about oil."

How many of you went to sites such as Sean Hannity to press the correct case that war was wrong?

They insisted that it wasn´t about oil! Doesn´t this make every single Republican a liar?

[MrDale]

3. i think...

alot of the public has gotten tired of hearing about this "war for oil" claim. nobody has really investigated into it so mostly itis speculation and opinions.

personally i believe it should be investigated in.

a few weeks ago i was arguing with a neocon who told me "if the war was for oil, then why are our prices so high"? i simple repeated, "do you think the corrupt white house cares about americans? it is about control of the oil fields to line their own pockets with profits, not about lowering the overall cost of oil in the united states."

when you have big oil businessmen like the ones in control of the white house, it is about lining their pockets with profits and that is what the oil in iraq is all about.

[Johonny]

14. I don't think they're tired of it

Most Americans get that there's oil there and if there wasn't we wouldn't be there. It's just not a very interesting angle to play.

[yurbud]

16. Greg Palast did the research (LINK)

http://www.gregpalast.com/iraqmeetingstimeline.html

And Colin Powell's chief of staff has been talking about it:

So Iraq Was About the Oil
By Robert Parry
November 8, 2005

While bemoaning the administration’s incompetence in implementing the war strategy, Wilkerson said the U.S. government now had no choice but to succeed in Iraq or face the necessity of conquering the Middle East within the next 10 years to ensure access to the region’s oil supplies.

“We had a discussion in (the State Department’s Office of) Policy Planning about actually mounting an operation to take the oilfields of the Middle East, internationalize them, put them under some sort of U.N. trusteeship and administer the revenues and the oil accordingly,” Wilkerson said. “That’s how serious we thought about it.

***********************************

Active preparations for war with Iraq were soon underway. Behind the scenes, O’Neill said he watched as the administration refined its plans for how to divvy up Iraq’s oil reserves after the invasion.

“Documents were being prepared by the Defense Intelligence Agency, (Defense Secretary Donald) Rumsfeld’s intelligence arm, mapping Iraq’s oil fields and exploration areas and listing companies that might be interested in leveraging the precious asset,” Suskind wrote in The Price of Loyalty.

***********************************

On Feb. 3, 2001 – only two weeks after Bush took office – an NSC document instructed NSC officials to cooperate with Cheney’s Energy Task Force because it was “melding” two previously unrelated areas of policy: “the review of operational policies towards rogue states” and “actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.”

FULL TEXT:
http://www.consortiumnews.com/2005/110705.html

[ClassWarrior]

4. Because WE haven't pushed them hard enough on it yet!!

Keep calling, writing, and email your Reps! Thank them for what they've done, and tell them we expect them to continue!!

NGU.

[yurbud]

23. Cindy has discussed this too and it's frustrating that Dems lie to her

as well as us.

[OKNancy]

5. I voted other

as I didn't see what I think.
It is not about oil. It's about the PNAC agenda of spreading democracy to the Middle East, and using our status as the only super power to bend other nations to our will. If oil is a by-product, then fine, but Iraq's oil is a small percentage in our imports and we had those imports anyway..war or no war.

[yurbud]

17. Look at the history of the players--the don't do Democracy

Negroponte did death squads in Central America, and Wolfowitz was in Indonesia, hardly a paragon on democratic values.

Like a good con man, they have a smooth rap, but you have to look at where their hands are going while their mouth is moving.

[phattyt]

6. There definitely was an oil motive but...

like has been discussed, there is no concrete evidence or whatnot to really push the theory. If the Dems go balls out trying to spread the message then the Republican spin-machine will eat them alive for having little to back it up. This would not bode well for the Dems image to the average, moderate American. Sad but unfortunately true

[endarkenment]

9. Other than the PNAC documents that make this absolutely clear.

And other than the fact that PNAC leadership and Bush Cabal are the same set of fools, you have a valid point.

[yurbud]

18. the evidence is there, and there could be more if pressed

[endarkenment]

7. replace one whore with another but...

not die under odd circumstances also figures in.

[stray cat]

8. Americans will vote their interests = cheap oil

[yurbud]

19. and we aren't getting it. We put Iraq's oil in our corporations hands

and they are repaying us by reaping record profits.

[DavidBowman]

10. Why bite the hand that feeds you?

Corporate influence in politics? That bird has flown for both parties.

[yurbud]

20. Dems want to move from being relief pitcher to starting

[LSdemocrat]

11. Does profits for Halliburton count as oil?

[Lyle]

12. of course its about oil...

and preserving US 'dominance' Everything else that has happened is just a cover. Everything. Desert Storm...911...all of it.

Here is an intersting quote. And it certainly applies today as it did 50 years ago:

""Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger."
-- Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials "

[B Calm]

13. Of course its about oil! Only a brain dead idiot would think this war

was for something else. The same idiot would also think that Bush is not involved in the Plame leak!

[paulk]

15. saying that the oil motive has been "pretty well documented

by greg palast and others" doesn't make a case that can be sold to the American people.

and as for drumming up a case for this being an "oil war", be careful what you wish for... if this war had somehow dropped the price of gas to under a buck a gallon, do you think Bush's popularity rating would be in the mid thirties right now?

[yurbud]

21. Been on BBC with docs and interviews with key players

the fact that it hasn't been covered here is more an indictment of our media and politicians than signs of a lack of evidence.

[yurbud]

22. So the oil execs & defense contractors in White House...

Suddenly got all dewy eyed idealistic about fighting terrorism and spreading democracy after 9/11 and aren't in this primarily to make a buck?

That's like saying Homer Simpson broke into a donut store to do a health inspection.

[yurbud]

24. If you think this aint about oil, read THE PRIZE (got pulitzer)

about the history of oil. It was written by Daniel Yergin who now works with papa bush.

Everything we do in that part of the world is at the behest of oil companies, including overthrowing democratically elected presidents when they drive too hard a bargain on behalf of their people.

I know some of you guys are just PR firm hacks, but for those of you who aren't, do your homework on this issue.

Your ignorance is killing people.

[stop the bleeding]

25. Kerry hinted to it tonight on Tweety's show - I think it was something

like: " the administration had it's own designs for going to Iraq" this was on the subject when Kerry was talking about wrong war, wrong place, wrong time. Maybe someone has something more precise?

Even though he hinted at it, he still did not come and say it :(

[yurbud]

26. he has talked about oil and talked about the war but

never directly and forcefully linked them.

[stop the bleeding]

27. some people got em some people don't:

I love this picture

Balls?!?!?!