Greg Palast: Bush Didn't Bungle Iraq, You Fools

[UpInArms]

http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=483&row=0

But don't kid yourself -- Bush and his co-conspirator, Dick Cheney, accomplished exactly what they set out to do. In case you've forgotten what their real mission was, let me remind you of White House spokesman Ari Fleisher's original announcement, three years ago, launching of what he called,

"Operation

Iraqi

Liberation."

O.I.L. How droll of them, how cute. Then, Karl Rove made the giggling boys in the White House change it to "OIF" -- Operation Iraqi Freedom. But the 101st Airborne wasn't sent to Basra to get its hands on Iraq's OIF.

"It's about oil," Robert Ebel told me. Who is Ebel? Formerly the CIA's top oil analyst, he was sent by the Pentagon, about a month before the invasion, to a secret confab in London with Saddam's former oil minister to finalize the plans for "liberating" Iraq's oil industry. In London, Bush's emissary Ebel also instructed Ibrahim Bahr al-Ulum, the man the Pentagon would choose as post-OIF oil minister for Iraq, on the correct method of disposing Iraq's crude.

And what did the USA want Iraq to do with Iraq's oil? The answer will surprise many of you: and it is uglier, more twisted, devilish and devious than anything imagined by the most conspiracy-addicted blogger. The answer can be found in a 323-page plan for Iraq's oil secretly drafted by the State Department. Our team got a hold of a copy; how, doesn't matter. The key thing is what's inside this thick Bush diktat: a directive to Iraqis to maintain a state oil company that will "enhance its relationship with OPEC."

<snip>

Specifically, the system ordered up by the Bush cabal would keep a lid on Iraq's oil production -- limiting Iraq's oil pumping to the tight quota set by Saudi Arabia and the OPEC cartel.

There you have it. Yes, Bush went in for the oil -- not to get more of Iraq's oil, but to prevent Iraq producing too much of it.

...more...

[fooj]

1. Hence, the blown-up oil fields.

Right?

[K-W]

12. We dont need the oil immediately, we just need to control it. EOM

[electropop]

2. Yup, not a war FOR oil; a war AGAINST oil.

What better way to increase the value of the oil held by Bush and his US and Saudi oily cronies?

[valerief]

3. I always thought their 911 and O.I.L. was cute

In a Satanic kind of way

[Sperk]

4. why doesn't Palast leak the rest of the report? Maybe he's just wetting

our appetite?

[PATRICK]

5. Getting what they want, falling short

on the PR and casualty front, but the most important point of all:

No one has stopped them at all in their major objectives. Most of the cheat voting machines are in and only slowly pried loose in states they don't need. No defections in the GOP, no rivals, no effective criticism and barely a credible whimper on the scandals and failures. No credible leading opposition party. No effective direction for the mass of angered Americans to do anything. All the money flowing from all directions into the Bush cabal's private coffers. All the law tending toward protecting them as most of the journalistic media do already.

Frighteningly I always believed it was a matter of degree. One plane strike away from truly absolute power if 93 had hit Congress, one botched anthrax herring and one naysayer or two(Plame) and Iraq was justified.

And what did they always want in Iraq anyway? Perfect democracy? Hardly. They always wanted a degree of crippling strife between factions, hopefully spreading out to the region to create more opportunities in Iran and Syria(a true sop to the weak partner Israel) and play the cartel eventually like divided chumps.

So it has all been too much. The REASON for the failure is that they wanted the very things that have blown up out of control. The intentions not only were impure, Palast notes, the very violence and undemocratic competition going on, the greed and exploitation were all things very much intended and now out of control.

What they would have preferred though, with all deference to Palast, is even more obsequious bowing to their plans, neater and more invisible successes, a firmer control than they currently have over the oil. So they must continuously, in your ineffective face, keep overreaching.

Overreaching however, is only in degree. The Iran action they seem very smug and pleased with themselves about in advance is part of the standard agenda. And worse things all on schedule until they are stopped. Some Dems are tired of simply waving them(Bushco) on thinking they(Bushco) are getting into trouble more than they(Bushco) are getting what they(Bushco) want. That most dangerous bet has slain tens of thousands and endangered the world itself.

[Emillereid]

9. Totally agree. Cheney told us that this was a war that wouldn't

end in our lifetime -- these guys are thinking long term. 30 -40 years out. And don't think for a second that they are going to allow the election of anyone who is part of the program. We are dealing with Nazis!

[Arkansas Granny]

6. Of course they couldn't be so blatant about the oil, but if you

listened to Bush's speech on Iraq in March, 2003 you heard him tell the Iraqis not to blow up the oil wells. I thought at the time that it was pretty telling that his first warning to the Iraqis was about the oil wells.

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
March 17, 2003

Remarks by the President in Address to the Nation
The Cross Hall

<snip>

"And all Iraqi military and civilian personnel should listen carefully to this warning. In any conflict, your fate will depend on your action. Do not destroy oil wells, a source of wealth that belongs to the Iraqi people. Do not obey any command to use weapons of mass destruction against anyone, including the Iraqi people. War crimes will be prosecuted. War criminals will be punished. And it will be no defense to say, "I was just following orders." "

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/03/20030317-7.html

[TrogL]

7. When they invaded what was the first thing they guarded?

The museums?

Nope.

The Oil Ministry.

[Emillereid]

8. This confirms my suspicions that the incredible 'incompetence'

is so thorough and widespread that it couldn't have happened by chance. It's all part of the neo-con's delusions of 'creative destruction' If we had really wanted a stable and orderly society in Iraq, we would have made sure that the reconstruction of Iraq actually took place. But if it had we wouldn't have any reason to stay there, now would we?? As long as there is chaos, we can't leave. A catch-22.

[grasswire]

10. exactly

I've been arguing this for some time now. Follow the dollar. Chaos = profit for Bushco. More chaos = more profit.

The same is true of New Orleans. The blueprint is this: allow chaos to follow disasters manmade and natural. Foster more chaos through inaction and "incompetence." Sell off contracts for reconstruction and repair and renewal.

It's foolproof.

[rman]

11. Would please W's middle eastern friends

Causes some demand destruction which will soften peak oil.

[Thomas_Jefferson]

13. Odd...?

You put up a link, but the site only says the same as you, offering NO real proof.

Heresay is no dice in the real world.

[K-W]

14. He offers his opinion and analysis.

There is nothing odd about it.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Name removed]

17. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[mzmolly]

18. Do you have any thoughts on increasing gas prices

"Mr. Jefferson?" Welcome.

[UpInArms]

20. the price of oil

on January 21, 2001 was:

Oil - $27.69/bbl

here is a current chart:

[Hissyspit]

21. Heresay is no dice in the real world??

You're joking, right? You can get American public to support invasion of another country based on hearsay! IT'S the basis of the Bush Doctrine!!

[motocicleta]

23. I don't get it. I called a freeper a freeper, and my posts get deleted.

Where is that in the rules?

[NMDemDist2]

25. umm Here

"Do not publicly accuse another member of this message board of being a disruptor, conservative, Republican, FReeper, or troll, or do not otherwise imply they are not welcome on Democratic Underground. If you think someone is a disruptor, click the "Alert" link below their post to let the moderators know."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/forums/rules_detailed.html "Civility" paragraph 5

[motocicleta]

26. all right, all right, I'm an idiot, and too lazy to read every word of the

rules. Guilty as charged.
Thanks

[NMDemDist2]

27. LOL no worries

but the mods do delete those when they see em

:pals:

[yurbud]

28. Palast's work documented and he interviews con players

the top players.

In the past on this oil story, he got Jay Garner, our first colonial governor of Iraq on camera talking about the privatization and seizure of Iraq's oil and Grover Norquist talking about writing the plan, which Palast had already got his hands on and published portions of.

In this case, he got another state department doc, and will probably post the relevant portion in the future.

That's a substantially better track record that the right wing press.

[northernsoul]

30. He names his source, describes the source's qualifications, and

provides a direct quote from that source. How is that hearsay?

[sellitman]

15. As usual Greg is BRILLIANT!

This should be sent to Oberman.

[unblock]

19. their goal was ALWAYS high energy prices

[teryang]

31. bing, bing, bing, bing......

Jackpot!

[stickdog]

22. Purty much. (nt)

[GeorgeGist]

24. Please, show the evidence, Greg!

"The answer can be found in a 323-page plan for Iraq's oil secretly drafted by the State Department."

:dilemma:

[yurbud]

29. the Iraq War won't end until Democrats start talking about OIL too

Every time they mention terrorism, WMD, and spreading democracy in the Middle East, that is essentially the same as saying they agree with the oil hegemony agenda because they are lying to cover it up.