Response to Calisse Cansime : Yes, Iraq is all about oil 1/21/03

Submitted by Michael Lange (United States), Jan 30, 2003 at 06:05

"[The US is a major buyer but has held back several payments which could have gone to these civilians.] "

Two errors in this statement, 1) the US is not the major purchaser, France is, with Germany and Italy close behind. France is attempting to hardball the US into giving it sanctions of oil reserves in the case the US does take Iraq. France is also currently doing major business with Iraq in the form of nuclear information and the building of oil pipelines and refineries. 2) the civilians have not, nor will they ever see any food or medicine from the sale of Saddam's oil. All proceeds go into his pocket and then get disbursed in bribes and terrorist subsidies.

"[The cost of the war is estimated to be a few million US dollars. The benefits in having a favourable regime in Iraq that would deliver low cost oil can run to billions in profit. Pentagon sources were quoted in a BBC report about the planned iraq invasion: US forces plan to maintain control of Iraq's oil wells well after a new regime is installed. The report hastily added that the profits would go to
the Iraqi people. Still not smell a rat?]"

The actual cost has been estimated in the billions, not millions. ... Yes, maintain control, that oil will go to pay for the war that Saddam started when he shot at our naval ship the USS Starke. The Iraqi people will realize the benefits of these oil sales in the form of renewed business, increased farming and food subsidies and access to the best medicines the western world can provide.

" [Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have a far worse record in terms of breeding terror than Iraq does. Actually, Iraq doesn't have much to do with the Al Qaeda; Saddam's regime, undemocratic as it may be, is a secularist one. Osama is happily waiting for it to topple over, so a Khomeini phenomenon happens here too.]"

Saudi Arabia and Pakistan will feel the screws soon enough. India is keeping Pakistan in check at the moment with their border tensions. Afgahnistan being mostly in US hands has Pakistan hemmed in. The comment about Saddam's regime being secular makes no sense. Saddam couldn't care less about what the rest of the Arab world thinks. He has already shown that by attacking Iran, Kuwait and sending missiles into Israel and Saudi Arabia. This whole notion that the Islamic terrorists don't like and won't work with him is the biggest fallacy. Remember the golden rule: He who has the gold makes the rules. Terrorists will deal with anyone as long as the pay is good and the hiding places are deep.

"[Reports say several other members of the Council are upset at the extent to which the US took charge of handing out copies to the permanent members and editing the versions to be given to the rotating members, who are not nuclear powers". Get the idea? US policy makers like to exude arrogance because they know they can happily get away with it everytime - there is not a thing the
rest of the world can do about it.] "

The rest of the members didn't even want to talk about Iraq, the US took charge because it was handed to us in the first place. The UN is clearly in violation of it's own mandates when it constantly drags its feet in the hopes that problems will just go away.

"[There is this lack of steam from America's allies in the war on terror Mr Pipes talks about. Is it not because the business of capturing Osama bin Laden and destroying the Al Qaeda has been left incomplete and now George Dubya's more interested in finishing Daddy's war in Iraq?]"

Osama is dead. He was killed in a cave in Afghanistan and anything on the news showing his ghost letters is purely propaganda. The latter statement shows your ignorance. The war never ended, Clinton put it on hold to cover for his failings.

"[This has confused countries like Germany. What else should the US expect the rest of the world to do, tag along blindly?] "

Absolutely not, i expect the Germans and French to clean up the problems in their own backyards and quit voting for military action around the world under the UN banner, then expect the US to foot the bill and the body bags.

M J Lange
Georgia, USA

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