Is suggesting that the USA invaded Iraq for its oil a "conspiracy theory?"

[NNN0LHI]

No one will admit that is why we are there.

No politicians will say that is what we are there for. Write a letter to one of them and they will deny it and say we are in Iraq to "help" and "liberate" the Iraqi people and suggest you are crazy for thinking otherwise. Won't they?

No US media outlets will dig into the subject. It is never brought up. Its as if the trillions of dollars worth of oil we are now controlling is just a small side issue not worth reporting on. 60 Minutes won't even say anything about it.

So what do you think? Does this make the people who believe it is about oil conspiracy theorists because no one will admit to it?

Don

[Catch22Dem]

1. I call it reality (n/t)

[bananarepublican]

29. NNN0LHI, Bush-Cheney... Oil! Oil! O.. Higher prices... Higher...

For these "Neanderthals" the price of oil is too low.

Riddle me this NNN0LHI, should Bush's so called oil industry expertise benefit the people or his oil industry buddies?

The Bush "oil" policy... keep on "global warming" b"oil"ing.

[Rex]

2. The gummit likes to keep unsightly things out of the public forum

if they can help it. Usually things like 'war for oil' will be labeled to make people automatically dismiss any theory that the gummit is evil.

Stand down orders on 911? Conspiracy theory - no one will say WHO gave the order.

[Turbineguy]

3. Well, a reasonable person

could just buy the oil like we do from other countries.

But then again, I would not want to accuse the PNAC people of being reasonable.

[Junkdrawer]

4. Control the oil. In Iraq's case, keep it in the ground until the Saudi...

oil is nearly gone. That gives them time to allow Iraqis to kill Iraqis and to make the world less picky about the kind of government we'll eventually ram down their throats.

[dogday]

6. bingo

That is where Americans realized something else was going on.. We invade an oil rich nation and the price of gas goes up, not down? When does their Oil start paying for the cost of the war?

[lonestarnot]

15. Don't you mean "they'll?"

[Junkdrawer]

17. Increasingly, yes. n/t

[Totally Committed]

5. No. It's the truth.... Reality.

End of story.

TC

[eallen]

7. Did US do it to bring Iraqi oil to market? Or keep it off the market?

Both conspiracy theories have their proponents here. Those who believe the first think that American oil firms wanted to get the oil contracts in reconstructing Iraq, and the politicians wanted the oil on the market to moderate the rise in oil prices. Those who believe the second think that the big oil firms, mostly not American, wanted to keep Iraqi oil off the market to accelerate the rise in oil prices, and that Bush gave them this.

Obviously, these theories are diametrically opposed. The first group points out that some Iraqi oil is now getting to the market. The second group point out that Iraqi oil production clearly isn't what it might be. I'll be more inclined to believe one when those who advocate it can come up with enough evidence to convince those who advocate the other.

:evilgrin:

[imouttahere]

14. Do you really think BushCo cares?

Do you deny that our govt controls the situation? Why couldn't it be both? Perpetual war gives them perpetual profit. IMO, those who choose not to believe that these sub-humans are capable of anything, do so at their peril.

[Kailassa]

22. It was not exactly about selling the oil or about preventing its sale.

It was about controlling as much of the world's oil reserves as possible,
and carefully letting it onto the market in the way most likely to maximize
both immediate prices and life-time of the oil supply.
In the short term this has meant screwing around with the pipelines and blaming terrorists,
to keep the supply down and the prices up.

Don't make the mistake of believing control of the oil will ever be handed back to the Iraqis.
The oil fields are stolen, and America will not willingly leave until they are empty.

Just look at De Beers and the careful way they let diamonds onto the market.
As with oil, diamonds are a finite resource, and Du Beers are working
to make this finite resource provide wealth for many generations.

[teryang]

8. Don't ask, don't tell.

Those who own oil and defense contractor stocks don't ask.

[clmbohdem]

9. No..Watch 3 Days Of the Condor

This 1970's Robert Redford movie is about a secret agency inside the CIA that was planning war games to invade foreign countries for oil. So, the conspiracy theory has been out there for a long time.

[keta11]

10. I have been very much against the war but have

found it hard to understand the "oil" motivation that some on the left claim.

What were Bush and Cheney gonna do with the oil? Drink it? In any case crude prices have increased markedly since the invasion.

I think the war is just post 9-11 "tough talk" gone too far. You remember in 2002, everything domestic was in the dumps and the only thing going for Dumbya was his so-called "tough on national security" credentials.

[Uben]

11. Don't kid yourself...

....oil was a part of it. I think stabilization and an ominous presence in the region were just as much factors in the decision. Keeping the oil available more than actually taking was more the incentive, I think.

The Saudis were getting uncomfortable with the U.S. stationed in their country, and Kuwait did not offer a big enough base to handle our presence in the region. Iraq, being the easiest target in the region, along with the personal vendetta Bush had against Hussein, were certainly factors as well.

But, what now? They are saying we will have at least 50,000 troops in Iraq for the next 15 years, giving credence to the ominous presence theory, while also keeping the American military complex in full production mode so they can reap their billions from American taxpayers.

This wasn't so much a conspiracy as it was a neo-con plan waiting to take place. They needed power to enact it. The 2000 and 2004 stolen elections provided that. Failure of the neo=cons to retain a stranglehold on congress would strongly jeopardize their plans. They will do ANYTHING to see that their plans continue. ANYTHING! So, be prepared to see more election fraud, more fabricated military confllict in the ME, and continued terror warnings. It's what they do. IT'S ALL THEY DO!

[spanone]

12. NO, it's the truth.

IT'S ALL ABOUT OIL

[lonestarnot]

18. If oil is money, and power, and it is, then yes all about oil.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

13. If we wanted to prove otherwise...... we would have given France,

Russia and Germany their contracts back with the Iraqis. We didn't and we didn't.

Then there's this.....

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/HL0206/S00030.htm

The email report, written by Al Qaida's head of military operations, Mohammd Atef, describes Al Qaida's view of ongoing secret pipeline negotiations between the US oil companies and the Taliban to build a pipeline through Afghanistan.

This Atef report was almost certainly reviewed by the late John O'Neill at the time of the Embassy bombing, shortly after the Al Qaida report was written. At the time, O'Neill was the FBI agent in charge of the Embassy bombing investigation. The shocking pipeline information may explain why O'Neill became fixated about the Saudi-Taliban-Al Qaida relationship for the few remaining years of his life.

After O'Neill's investigations were repeatedly shut down by his superiors, O'Neill allegedly began making discreet inquiries to French intelligence using two reporters as cut-outs. Both reporters were known consultants for French intelligence and are specialists on both the oil industry and terrorism.

It is plausible that the French Government was upset at being shut out of the Caspian Basin deal, and may have been helping O'Neill behind the backs of his superior's in Washington. It does seem that the more that O'Neill learned, the less he was alowed to do with it.

[Rex]

16. Who gave the order to put O'Neill in charge of the WTC?

That's what I'd like to know.

[HysteryDiagnosis]

20. If I remember correctly, he quit the FBI for very good and moral

reasons and probably APPLIED for the job.

Here, watch this if you have a HS connection.

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/knew/

[TheFarseer]

19. I don't know why we went in there

I'm not going to pretend to know why a sick mind like George Bush or any of his puppet masters decided to invade Iraq BUT, that's the only reason we are not leaving.

[lonestarnot]

23. strategic positioning for mo money and power.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

21. Iraq, like most of the ME, would be an ignored backwater without oil.

Oil, for the vast majority of people in the ME, has been a curse.

[mmonk]

24. That is the conspiracy's plan.

[Arkansas Granny]

25. It may not have all been about the oil, but I have always believed

that the oil played a big role in the decision to invade Iraq. I also think that Bush's ego and his wish to show "Poppy" that he could get Saddam had a lot to do with it. There's also the connection of several of his cabinet members and advisors with PNAC.

[Danascot]

26. How many counties have we invaded that

had brown people with no oil? Dafur? Sudan?

[imouttahere]

27. Bravo, Danascot

Sums it up nicely

[EFerrari]

33. Hawaii. Does Hawaii have oil?

:(

[blurp]

28. They're not smart enough to have done it for oil.

[breakaleg]

30. I doubt they did it out of their concern for the Iraqi people and

a desire to save them from Saddam.

[Sgent]

31. Really cynical

would have them invading it for Haliburton.

If we go in, and it is a prolonged occupation, Haliburton gets the military contracts.

If we went in and it was quick with the oil starting to flow -- haliburton gets the oil svcs contracts (they are one of only 2-3 in the world that can do what they do in oil svcs).

[B Calm]

32. It's all about stopping the flow of cheap oil and driving prices up!

[Philosoraptor]

34. How DARE you even suggest such a thing.

Oil? it's about freedom and democracy and sunshine and lollipops, but never ever say the O word.