Abizaid 50 year War for Oil uh In The Mideast- "Not sayin', Just Sayin"

[T.Ruth2power]

Abizaid: Mideast wars may last 50 years Thu Nov 1, 3:41 AM ET



PITTSBURGH - It might take as long as half a century before U.S. troops can leave the volatile Middle East, according to retired Army Gen. John Abizaid.

"Over time, we will have to shift the burden of the military fight from our forces directly to regional forces, and we will have to play an indirect role, but we shouldn't assume for even a minute that in the next 25 to 50 years the American military might be able to come home, relax and take it easy, because the strategic situation in the region doesn't seem to show that as being possible," Abizaid said Wednesday at Carnegie Mellon University.

Abizaid, the former commander of U.S. forces in the Middle East, stepped down in March as the longest-serving commander of U.S. Central Command. He retired from the Army in May and now is at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University.

The rise of Sunni extremism, burgeoning Shiite extremism, the Arab-Israeli conflict and the world economy's dependency on Mideast oil will keep Americans in the Middle East for a long time, he said.

"I'm not saying this is a war for oil, but I am saying that oil fuels an awful lot of geopolitical moves that political powers may have there," Abizaid said. "And it is absolutely essential that we in the United States of America figure out how, in the long run, to lessen our dependency on foreign energy."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071101/ap_on_re_us/abizaid_middle_east

Weasel words get you lots of stripes. Way to go John medal of valor comin' up.

[shain from kane]

1. Is there anyone here since World War II or the Korean War that knows for sure

whether it was being discussed at the time that we would continue to occupy Germany, Japan, and Korea for over 50 years? To some sensitivities. I may be using the term "occupy" in an exagerrated manner.

[EVDebs]

2. Big Oil, DOD pre-planning since 1973, and today

Keep Iraq's oil in the ground,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=389&topic_id=1599830

and the permanent bases etc,


Document reveals Nixon plan to seize Arab oil fields
'70s embargo sparked 'last resort' measure, says British memo
by Lizette Alvarez, New York Times
Friday, January 2, 2004
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2004/01/02/MNG8G427D61.DTL

has this insight re British intelligence's prediction that at least ten yrs would be required to occupy Iraq,

"he British warned in their assessment that any occupation of Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Abu Dhabi might have to last as long as 10 years. The use of force would also anger and alienate Arab countries and irritate the Soviet Union, although a military confrontation with the country would be unlikely, the document stipulated."

This leads one to suspect Tim Russert's not-so-innocent question re how long Democratic candidates for prez would stay in Iraq, to at least 2013 (the occupation began in 2003) -- the required ten years-- was really a fishing expedition for Big Oil.

[Javaman]

3. The Pyrrhic victory of oil...

and at the end of 50 years? will there be enough oil to fill a thimble?

it's a battle for the last gallon of gas. period.

fools.