I heard that this was Wolfowitz's plan. One that he hatched somewhere between the Shiite massacre at the end of the Gulf War (which he blamed largely on Bush I) and the installation of Bush II.
I don't remember early elections. I remember the Iraqis arguing that they could have elections immediately because they did the census with 400,000 teachers and could register voters quite easily. It was the Bush administration that hemmed and hawed much too long fearing that it would be a one-and-only election.
The Bushies went to great lengths to protect the energy meetings that Cheney held with the industry. They refused to even acknowledge who participated. What was the great secret?
They also pushed through some $8 billion in exploration money for BigOil so I'm not convinced that they wouldn't (if they could slide it through in chunks) pay for the $30-40 billion in oil industry reconstruction costs on behalf of the industry. If they couldn't subsidize the entire thing, I could see massive tax credits against BigOil's record profits.
After all, Bush and the Republican Congress have increased the national debt by 45% largely through tax cuts and war. Apparently they are not concerned in the least about running massive deficits and adding trillions to the country's IOUs. $30-$40 billion --- about 4-5 months worth of war costs today --- might just slide through on one pretext or another.
At any rate, the Bushies would not let BigOil lose money or risk too much on Iraq.
Bush II didn't even bother to ask Bush I for advice on Iraq before he invaded. Apparently, making dad look weak by finishing his job was one of the perks of invasion. In that case, would Bush have consulted anyone in the good graces of Poppy?
I can't tell if the Bush administration does things out of sheer stupidity and arrogance or from single-minded greed.
There's always the executive order which, I guess, is still in place. I'm not sure about its legitimacy now but it certainly shows where Bush's heart lies.
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" I, GEORGE W. BUSH, President of the United States of America, find that the threat of attachment or other judicial process against the Development Fund for Iraq, Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, obstructs the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq.
This situation constitutes an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States and I hereby declare a national emergency to deal with that threat.
I hereby order:
Section 1. Unless licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant to this order, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited, and shall be deemed null and void, with respect to the following:
(a) the Development Fund for Iraq, and
(b) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons...."
whitehouse.gov |
