‘this was never about oil, which saddam would have been glad to sell… more debased than using it to get american companies easier access to oil.’

Anyone who attempts to lay the blame for Iraq at only one door is limited in their thinking. It wasn’t just Israel any more than it was just oil, or just corporate boondoggles, or just Republican electioneering strategy, or just Oedipus Bush, etc.

The whole point is the unique conjunction of those interests in time and space. Each of them being more or less necessary but none of them being sufficient on their own. Bush wanted Iraq to put on his legacy mantelpiece next to the bust of Churchill, leaving Poppy to eat his dust. The MI/contractor complex wanted windfall profits and the energy sector wanted security of supply at self-set prices – Cheney was point man for both efforts. (What do you think his secret Task Force talked about?)

They say the war has cost a cool trillion, with another couple to come. Given that Iraq may sit on 30 trillion of reserves of the most crucial resource for all nations’ futures, that doesn’t strike me (or rather wouldn’t strike Cheney and co) as excessive. Retrospect might admire, or at least understand the idea of history’s biggest military establishing enduring bases around the dwindling supply of the stuff every nation needs, but only some can have.

Remember, ‘the American way of life is non-negotiable’ and ensuring that means making it impossible for the emerging Asian economies (or anyone else) from imposing their will in terms of demand for energy, no matter how economically powerful they are, no matter how much of your debt they own.

It’s hardball, but what do you expect?

Israel-firsters have wanted to destroy Iraq (as a first step in disabling local opposition to Eretz Israel) at least since Oded Yinon’s work for the IDF in the early 80s. It’s all there in Clean Break and PNAC. They had a lock on Congress and own the major media and so yes, they said to Bushco, we can give you cover for what you want, if you come to the party for us.

A marriage made in hell, and we are all paying for the divorce. More so than either partner will.

thank you thank you thank you. this was never about oil, which saddam would have been glad to sell. it was worse: it was the use of the US armed forces for personal ends, which is even more debased than using it to get american companies easier access to oil.