Any theories on why bush* won't cede control of Iraq to UN?

[rwork]

My guess plain and simple . His ego.

[Loonman]

1. He wants all the influence and Cheney wants all the money

n/t

[salin]

6. He wants the $$$$$ too.

Wonder how many companies getting contracts have Carlyle investments?

More importantly are the bribes ... er no bid no oversight contracts... that go to campaign donors.

It is campaign fundraising season... afterall...

[wtmusic]

2. That pretty much sums it up

* is incapable of admitting he's wrong (like most Republicans) and it will be his downfall.

[gratuitous]

3. Theory?

How about, they killed Iraq and stole its oil fair and square (at least "fair and square" in the Bush Family sense of the word), and nobody else gets a piece of the pie! So tens of thousands have died based on a series of lies -- that precious, precious Iraqi crude was worth their sacrifice.

[ShimokitaJer]

4. Ceding control to the UN...

would also mean ceding control over how the money to rebuild Iraq is spent...

meaning that US companies might not get all the no-bid contracts...

meaning that the $87 billion Bush promised his masters might go to someone else.

Just look at the way Iraqi companies and workers are being used as subcontractors to American companies, doing the actual work and being paid as workers-for-hire while the American companies get the contracts and pull in the cash. I'm not suggesting the other UN member nations are any more noble about their motivation, but at least there would be some checks on this kind of blatant profiteering.

-edited to correct a line-

[MGKrebs]

5. Also, reading between the lines of the PNAC

agenda, they want permanent military bases in the Middle East. Our Saudi bases are gone, so we need them to be in Iraq.

From these bases, they will continue the crusade against Muslim nations, kill every terrorist, and create a shining beacon of freedom and democracy throughout the world. The American Empire.

Maybe.

:-(

[rwork]

11. I remember Rumsfeld saying.

We want to build two airfields in Iraq, if they will let us."If they will let us." What in the world will stop us.

[joshdawg]

7. His ego. I agree 100%.

He does not know how to admit defeat or failure at anything.

[trof]

8. $$$-O-I-L-$$$

Shhhhh...
Don't tell.

[Junkdrawer]

14. And large numbers of troops in an area of the world that has the oil...

Can you say hegemony? Good, I knew you could.

[argonne]

22. OIL

n/t

[DoYouEverWonder]

9. They don't want anyone

digging up evidence of all their war crimes.

[Cocoa]

10. it would defeat the purpose of the war

If he cedes control, then he can't use it to get re-elected.

[lindashaw]

12. Because our strategic alliance with Israel, plus the pre-emptive strike

doctrine, is part and parcel of out intentionts to weaken the UN and other multilateral institutions. Bush just said in Japan that the UN was old and needed to be restructured. NATO is soon to follow. Isn't Europe forming its own "NATO" as we speak?

[maggrwaggr]

13. Remember Homer Simpson with his hand stuck in the coke machine?

it's exactly like that. Plain old childish greed.

[samsingh]

15. that would give away acces to the oil

[Cat Atomic]

16. Because it's about global influence, not popular opinion.

The living conditions of the Iraqi people are irrelevant. Your taxes are irrelevant. The lives of US troops are irrelevant. The invasion was about expanding US global influence, and the occupation is about maintaining it.

Handing control to the UN would defeat the whole purpose of the invasion. Sure, it'd be nice for our troops, the Iraqi people, and the American taxpayer, but all these people are ultimately irrrelevant to the Neo Conservative line of thinking.

[Aidoneus]

17. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$

with a side of $$$$$$$$$

[Jeff in Cincinnati]

18. For the same reason

that a criminal would prefer not to "cede" control of the crime scene to the police. Imagine the evidence that might turn up.

[mrsteve]

19. One thing everyone is overlooking -

Although I agree that oil and rebuilding contracts, along with the sweetheart deals that will be unveiled as the Iraqi state enterprises are unlimbered are all major reasons for Bush to demand for the US to stay in control of Iraq, you are forgetting one of the most important reasons: political control of Iraq by the US prevents the formation of an Islamic state.

Right now, there is only one organization that has the resources and the international mandate suitable to take over Iraq. That't the UN. If the US really had to get out of Iraq, Bush (well, actually Cheney ;-)) would simply agree to whatever terms the UN would set for withdrawal and have done with it.

Except that the UN would go in and allow free elections. With free elections, there is a pretty high probablity that the resulting government would in some form be Islamic controlled, if not a full secular government.

The UN would view this result as the simple result of democracy, and as long as rebuilding continued, international debts were paid, and civil rights were more or less repected, they would consider it a success.

So how many people think that Bush would allow an Islamic government to be elected in the contry that he and his friends captured? And within a presidential election cycle? It just won't happen.

[Malva Zebrina]

20. Probably there is more than one reason -- it is not black and white

the biggest contributing factor is most likely the little boy Bush's absolute fantasy when it comes to himself as the great warrior king. He is wallowing in grotesque fantasy, as evidenced by his propensity to dress up in various military costumes--his closet is probably filled with these costumes and he loves it, evidently. I would not doubt if he secretly ordered up some medals from Rummie or Wolfowitz or someone on the JCS and pins them on the costumes as he parades before a mirror. He wanted so bad to outdo his daddy--now he faces the utter failure of the son also. He hangs out with a utterly despicable crowd that jerks that little string attached to his ego quite often without, I would guess, him even realizing it and he is, imo, being cleverly played by them. We all know that all you have to do to an egomaniac to get what you want is to stroke that ego as much as possible. I don't believe this man has a speck of intelligence--it is not apparent in him or is it apparent in the Bush genes--intelligence that is. These ego stroker's reason for attacking and invading and laying claim to all the spoils are more practical--they are greedy and want all the profits for themself. Others simply want to protect Israel and are willing to egg him on to establish American hegemony in the ME no matter how many lies, how many murders and deaths of little babies and innocent children--as long as Israel can feel safe surrounded by American forces , these ones will continue their campaign to influence the twit. I count amongst these, the Christian religious extremists who are anxious to fly up and away into the sky after the Jews are destroyed in the biblical prophecy they embrace called the battle of Armageddon. Bush is just the front man -- he no more can call a halt to what is going on in Iraq than mickey mouse. He has to wait until he is told what to do--in spite of his proclammation that he runs things.

[rwork]

23. Well put

Marianne.

[rocktivity]

21. He has too much ($$$$$$$) to lose

His ego is the reason why he employs the use of hand picked audiences and free speech zones. But Georgie would lost a lot more than face if the UN were to step in now. He'd lose financial as well as logisitical control, which would be bad news for the oil company, defense contractor, and other corporate friends who invested campain and lobbying money in him.


rocknation

[arwalden]

24. Fewer Opportunities To Plant Evidence Of (Or Actual) WMD's... Also:

... they want the money from the sale of oil. Or... they just want to ship the oil "wholesale" to the United States.

Iraq: The 51st State.

-- Allen