Lots of good ideas for Dems to run on if they only will (by Helen Thomas)

Helen,

I have admired your dogged work questioning presidents of both parties for decades, and agree with your recent criticism of the Democrats for not attacking the iraq War lies of the Bush administration in a more concerted and blunt way.

But one thing you said needs to be corrected and brought to light by someone of your prominence. You said Iraq was an "endless war for no known American objective," which is partly true--it doesn't serve Americans as a whole.

But it does serve oil companies as BBC journalist Greg Palast, Naomi Klein of The Nation, former congressional aide Antonia Juhasz, and research by the Global Policy Forum have documented, including talking to key players like Jay Garner, oil execs lobbying for the overthrow of Saddam, and GOP strategist Grover Norquist who wrote part of the plan to privatize everything in Iraq.

At the very least, you should already know that the Bush administration canceled foreign oil concessions when he invaded Iraq and gave those contracts to American companies, and is now restructuring Iraq's oil industry to those companies specifications, a prima facie war crime according to the Hague and Geneva Conventions.

Palast later found out that the oil companies were concerned that when sanctions came off, Saddam would pump a lot more oil and drive down prices. The Downing Street Minutes confirm this when they document Bush sending reassurances to Vladimir Putin that the invasion of Iraq will NOT result in higher production and lower prices.

Effectively, American troops are dying and killing in Iraq so we can pay MORE at the pump.

Helen, I don't know why this isn't part of the public debate, but as long as it isn't, the American people can not make an informed decision about supporting or opposing the War in Iraq, and as long as our elected officials don't talk about it in public, we don't have a real democracy.

I have included links to the relevant material.


Greg Palast's timeline of Iraq oil meetings (with video interviews with the players):
http://www.gregpalast.com/iraqmeetingstimeline.html

Naomi Klein on privatization and its effects in Iraq:
http://www.harpers.org/BaghdadYearZero.html

Detailed report on restructuring of Iraq's oil industry to benefit our oil companies:
http://www.globalpolicy.org/security/oil/2005/crudedesi...

Colin Powell's chief of staff on oil motive for Iraq War:
http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2005/11/powell-ai...


The Bush Agenda: Invading the World, One Economy at a Time author's website:
http://www.bushagenda.net/index.php


Economic war crimes in Geneva and Hague Conventions:

The Hague Convention of 1907 (IV) see articles 47, 53, 55
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/195?OpenDocument

The Geneva Convention of 1949 (IV) we've broken almost every section of article 147, and Bush has personally broken article 148.
http://www.icrc.org/ihl.nsf/FULL/380?OpenDocument