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Politics : Foreign Policy Discussion Thread -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (1540)	1/2/2003 3:52:33 PM
From: American Spirit	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

If we take over and occupy Iraq do you think more or less terrorism in the future? And if we DONT take over the oilfields who's going to pay for the long-term nation rebuilding there? The costs are enormous and I dont see the Saudis offering to pay for it this time. Bush has himself in a box where he cannot admit his true motives. It irks me when he has to make up reasons why we're after Iraq and BS's the American people. The clear and present danger BS. If not for Iraq's oil we wouldn't give him the time of day and would let him persecute his people just like all the other dictators do whom we do business with. Not a perfect world, but I'd appreciate more honesty and less spin from the Administration. Their bread is buttered with oil. They ran as a team who could fix our energy problems. So why not admit that by controlling the #2 oil-fields in the world they would be delivering massive new power and money to the US and our oil companies? And that democracy in Iraq is not a priority. We're not actually going to let the Iraqis vote fairly are we? If so they might elect a Shiite Islamic fundamentalist. The key for the Bushies is that oil. And from a purely opportunistic short-term oil industry POV it's a grand idea. Reminds me of LAWRENCE OF ARABIA when Lawrence asked the British intelligence leader Dryden what their real interests were in the Middle East "I couldn't say" he slyly replied. They were pretending to support freedom for the Arabs but were actually just trying to secure those oilfields. And they were using Lawrence's idealistic quest for exactly the purposes Lawrence despised. I know, politics forces leaders to lie or withhold the truth, but this whole massive Iraq effort, including the timing of it before the elections reeks of cynical dishonesty. I suppose though that by calling a spade a spade I appear unpatriotic. The fact is, I would like to envision a day soon when we can be off the arab oil altogether, adn eventually off oil for the most part. I dare to dream. Everything starts with the dream, then the commitment to make it come true. We think too short-term. The root cause of all of this mess is how much oil energy we consume, waste and refuse to replace. Not an easy job but with time, money and commitment it can be done in our lifetimes. Until then, seize the frigging Iraqi fields and admit you're going to do it. The oil Administration grabs the oil. What they're best at. And if you dont like it vote them out.

To: Hawkmoon who wrote (1540)	1/3/2003 2:25:33 AM
From: KLP	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 15987

It's really too bad that many folks just don't understand this... As much as we would like the US off of oil, it will take years because of the thoughts expressed in your sentence below, which I put in bold. I had tongue in cheek yesterday, when I mentioned that we should just leave them (the ME oil producers) with no oil income, but know of course, that that can't be at least for some time. What would the ME countries use for currency and other products for income if it weren't for oil...??? Weaning the US off of Middle East oil is one thing.. But it will not remove the problem of militant Islamo-Fascism. There is the onerous demographic trend that will have to be dealt with as well (50% of Saudi Arabia is under the age of 18). We cannot reduce the economic revenues in the region without exacerbating the societal strife mounting there (which leads to more militantcy and violence).