Greg Palast: SECRET U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQ'S OIL

SECRET U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQ'S OIL
By Greg Palast
Reporting for BBC Newsnight
17 March 2005

The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.

Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protestors claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists."

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

more@link

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His website is getting SLAMMED right now, check back later.

www.gregpalast.com


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Most Efficient DUer of the Day Award!

Cheers! Drink a Green Beer in honor of your greatness.

How long England will remain with a Free Press and in the Free World is a serious question, though.

They could be the next domino to fall to BushPutinist Tyranny.

He is a media hero

:bounce:

Have you seen 'Bush Family Fortunes'? Well worth ordering.

<snip>

Ari Cohen, of the neo-conservative Heritage Foundation, told Newsnight that an opportunity had been missed to privatize Iraq's oil fields. He advocated the plan as a means to help the US defeat Opec, and said America should have gone ahead with what he called a "no-brainer" decision.

Mr Carroll hit back, telling Newsnight, "I would agree with that statement. To privatize would be a no-brainer. It would only be thought about by someone with no brain."

</snip>

I loved that.

There are still people who make sense.

it might make sense that Heritage (funded by Scaife who is invested in Gulf Oil, a US oil wholesaler) might want the oil fields less controlled and that big oil might want the oil fields more controlled.

Does that make sense?

We knew the plans were in Cheney's secret energy panel documents. We knew Ken Lay was telling everyone that everything was going to be all right because the Afghanistan pipeline was going to solve their little problem in Dabhol. We knew they had a list of American "suitors" for Iraqi oil and maps of the oilfields.

The PNAC forsaw ALL this - PERPETUAL WAR was their answer

So what did they do to gain public support to go after diminishing global resources?

1. Steal 2000 elections - PNAC "crazies" finally gain power.

2. Fly planes into buildings - blame folks who live in oil countries.
Now the public support, impossible by any other means, is achieved
to do whatever they deem necessary. Massive military buildup,
preemptive invasion for any country, take away citizen's rights,
programs for the weaponization of space-None of this would have
been possible w/out their Pearl Harbor.

3. Invade a oil country #1 where a failed pipeline deal to the
massive Caspian oil fields (one of the untapped frontiers).

4. Invade oil country #2 w/ massive oil potential and strategic
importance.

5. Steal election # 2. Political capital to install 4th Reich powers
indefinitely.

6. Plans to invade #3 coming up soon.

7. Stupid, psychotic plan (proved through history to ALWAYS fail)
fails leading to bankrupted rednecked superpower.

With all the money they have spent on these military adventures, we could be well on our way to a renewable resource driven economy but, these Oil/MIC/shape shifters chose perpetual, multi-front wars.

If he says he's got the documents, he no doubt does.

None of this should be a surprise.

coming out now? Below snipped from the original Greg Palast linked article..

<snip>
n Iraqi-born oil industry consultant, Falah Aljibury, says he took part in the secret meetings in California, Washington and the Middle East. He described a State Department plan for a forced coup d'etat.

Mr Aljibury himself told Newsnight that he interviewed potential successors to Saddam Hussein on behalf of the Bush administration.
<snip>

who has mixed feelings about the Bush's War on Iraq....He however hasn't believed me when I have stated its about the OIL....

I also plan to watch the report tonite on BBC....

Greg Palast's 'Bush Family Fortunes'. Excellent DVD.

some whistleblowers will come forward or at least secretly leak some damning documents.

edited to add: Recommended

For those paying attention, many have said Iraq oil was on the table immediately after the 2000 election. Paul O'Neill said as much in his book, for which he was smeared.

This whole story is so, so important. This is stuff that should be investigated and explored in MSM and congress because it affects everything: 9/11, Iraq WMD, Iraq war, Iraq rebuilding, energy policy task force, PNAC.

It is so gigantic, so fundamental to understanding the last four years that it will likely slip under the public radar.

Amazingly, it has been two years since the invasion and the american public perception of the reasons is still confused, muddied, and inaccurate. The administration could not have hoped for more.

Michael Moore's site now has the article as well :

http://www.michaelmoore.com/words/index.php?id=1857

I hope that MM's obvious interest in this article will promote its message to a wider audience. It needs to be heard.

Meanwhile, the ceaseless chatter about the steroids/sports hearings fills -- and blocks -- the airwaves.

...not Euros. The oil industry is opportunistic, they go for what works. I dispute that their original intention wasn't to take over Iraqi oil resources directly. Now they are only recognizing the obvious. The US armed forces lack the power, despite all their bullshit about their technological prowess and world dominance, to establish dominion and control over Iraqi oil infrastructure without the acquiescence of the Iraqi guerilla forces. It is simply too vulnerable to attack. It just won't ever be safe for American personnel in Iraq until a political accomodation is reached. (this hasn't gone unnoticed by Iran)

One thing the elites in this country cannot acknowledge is their massive policy failure. The neo-cons always existed as throw away scape goats, to take the fall if and when their apparently bizarre plans failed. Their pitiful venality prevented them from perceiving their role as expendable small fry.

This is big time ass covering by big oil and their bankers. If this is true why are the administration meetings with the big energy company executives being kept from the public with such an intense fear of what their disclosure might mean politically.

Nothing fails like a military failure.