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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: sandintoes who wrote (737063)	4/18/2006 1:52:27 PM
From: DuckTapeSunroof	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769670

You seem confused about some of the basic facts surrounding this issue. 1) True, as the article points out "A 2005 U.N. report alleged AWB was one of more than 2,000 firms that had paid kickbacks worth $1.8 billion to Saddam's government through the U.N.-managed "oil-for-food" account." 2) The same Volker led investigation also determined that this amount of graft (around $1.8 billion) represented LESS THEN 5% of the money Saddam earned illegally OUTSIDE of the program, by evading sanctions in broad daylight --- smuggling oil in tanker trucks right down the highways into our allies Jordan, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia. The US government (under several administrations: Bush I, Clinton, and Bush II) and it's Western allies, clearly made the determination not to upset the apple cart by trying to block this massive smuggling... because our allies were so heavily involved and profiting from it. (And, also because it was in our own interests to keep oil prices down.)