US to stay in Iraq

Myself, and others, have said this war was really all about oil and a permanent US presence in the Mideast. No, no, we were told, when the job is done we will come home. Sure, sure you will.

Permanent bases, a potential bonanza for oil companies, a puppet government, what a surprise, and what a great recruiting tool for the terrorists.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,,2217460,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=networkfront​

 

I dont see anything written here that wasnt already obvious to a casual observer.

 

How long before we left germany? How long before we get out of japan?

 

Yeah, as long as the oil fields keep giving, we'll be staying, propping up a puppet government. It was about oil all along, wasn't it?

 

So what explanation do you have for our presence for 50 years in germany and our presence for 50 years in the philipines, and our continued presence in korea, and our continued presence in japan and all the other places US troops might be stationed?

Were those about oil as well?

Also, since oil is a commodity, sold on a world market, exactly what oil benefit do you believe we get as a nation from being there?

 

Right. There aren't many people in this country anymore who don't know that. Keep on spending billions every week to hold down the price of oil.

Like so many things the government promotes, there isn't going to be a profit on this venture. And of course, that cynically ignores the cost of human lives lost. Those are not only priceless, but unforgivably taken for the comfort of the richest.

 

Are either of you two even going to pretend to address palerider's points on keep on riding the wholly unsubstantiated, illogical "blood for oil" train?

 

Preventing the spread of communism.

A) They're still willing to sell to us and we're in a position to make sure it stays that way. B) We can make sure the upheval doesn't have too detrimental an effect on oil exports, keeping the oil flowing.

In other words, we get the benefit of continuing to get it.

 

Sorry, we simply will never get "first dibs" on iraq's oil because the system doesn't work like that.

 

It doesn't? Why not?

 

Because it's sold on the open market.

 

It's not about getting "first dibs," it's about getting it at all.

 

American Oil companies will.

It's one of the benchmarks for recieving reconstruction fund from the US. The privatization law, written by American oil company consultants hired by the Bush administration, would leave control with the Iraq national Oil Company for only 17 of the 80 known oil fields. The remainder (two-thirds) of known oil fields, and all yet undiscovered ones, would be up for grabs by the private oil companies of the world .

No other nation in the Middle East has privatized its oil. Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iran give only limited usage contracts to international oil companies for one or two years. The $120 billion dollar "Support the Troops" legislation passed by Congress in Mayrequires Iraq, in order to get reconstruction funds from the United States, to privatize its oil resources and put them up for long term (20- to 30-year) contracts.