[Macsporan]

I think this story and other evidence presented here has established beyond reasonable doubt the corruption of the American political system, and the cowardice and hypocricy of its corporate welfare-sponger class.

My remarks, it goes without saying, are not directed at each and every American, just is corrupt, brutal and avaricious rulers, and the sanctimonious image it presents to the world.

There are hundreds of millions of Americans who are just as disgusted as any of us, but the system is rigged to deny them power.

The US needs a revolution, and in the fullness of time, it will have one.

[PlanComplete]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lorenzo', 'I') don't want to turn this in an anti-American topic (shock ), but can anyone from the other side of the pond explain why Chevron can just walk into Congress, stash a few million dollars into the pockets of congressmen, telling them they should not allow CNOOC to buy Unocal, and walk out.

Over here in Europe, this would be called bribing. In the US, it seems to be the most normal thing to do. It's even institutionalized.

How does this work? And why is this kind of dubious practises still around in the 21st century, in the world's most powerful country?

[PlanComplete]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Macsporan', 'I') think this story and other evidence presented here has established beyond reasonable doubt the corruption of the American political system, and the cowardice and hypocricy of its corporate welfare-sponger class.

My remarks, it goes without saying, are not directed at each and every American, just is corrupt, brutal and avaricious rulers, and the sanctimonious image it presents to the world.

There are hundreds of millions of Americans who are just as disgusted as any of us, but the system is rigged to deny them power.

The US needs a revolution, and in the fullness of time, it will have one.

[Specop_007]

Ouch. So lemme ask you Lorenzo and Mac......Whats crow taste like?

[PK]

US is acting like a big bully. Does anybody actually believe that a big bully with the biggest guns would behave otherwise? Since time immemorial, the guy with the heftiest fist or biggest weapon has always made the rules. The chink in US's armour is that some Americans like to think or at least pretend that they play fair.

In any case, regardless of the outcome, the Chinese govt will extract a victory. They will (1)either buy over Unocal; or (2)cause the US govt to use a silly excuse to block CNOOC. If the US govt decides to choose option (2), I am pretty sure the Chinese govt will pay US companies operating in China back in their own coin (e.g. changing rules arbitrarily in the name of national interests) whenever it suits them.

P.S. If it were the Chinese who has the most powerful army, I would expect them to set their own rules. After all, we are all human.

[Grasshopper]

"We demand that the US Congress correct its mistaken ways of politicizing economic and trade issues and stop interfering in the normal commercial exchanges between enterprises of the two countries," China's foreign ministry said in a statement.

But the Chinese National Overseas Oil Company, as a state-owned enterprise, is doing exactly that, not to mention comments by the foreign ministry. However, many from Canada or Mexico would feel sympathy with the statement, because the intent of NAFTA is often subverted by US Congressmen acting on behalf of various lobby groups.

From other quotes above, it is evident that Chevron made campaign contributions to the Congressmen, there is no evidence of bribery. I haven't looked at the timing of it, but suspect it was long before CNOOC started bidding for UNOCAL. In many countries, companies contribute to all significant parties, probably hoping for someone to remember them when making tax laws. I don't think the US is especially guilty, certainly better than countries where state-owned companies don't play by the same rules as private, including Canada, to our shame.
I think there is talk of limiting contributions by corporations, which would probably be a good idea. Presidents and Prime Ministers devote too much time to fund-raising as things stand now.
The history of oil development in the Middle East, by the way, is rife with political interference by the US, Britain and other European countries. Ideally, every country should back off from interference, although oil is much too strategically important for this to happen.

[Macsporan]

Although there are various degrees of corruption in many countries, only one of them has been preaching free-trade and using the IMF and the World Bank to force Neoliberalism on all and sundry for the last 20 years.

Neoliberalism is of course merely a fig-leaf for compelling countries to adopt US style gangster-capitalism and lay themselves open to exploitation by American Corporate Imperialism.

Having treated others national sovereignty with contempt and derision (read some Thomas Friedman) the US then whines and hides behind this argument when, for once, things don't go its way.

The US is not the only corrupt place in the world, it is not even the most corrupt, but it is the hypocricy and two-faced cant that really sticks in the craw.

The people's of the world should gang up on the US and use every technique of commerical warfare to bring the US economy down; and prove to this arrogant nation, once and for all, that they are part of the world and cannot turn their backs on its sorrows and problems or use all others as a means to its endless gratification.

[LadyRuby]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('lorenzo', 'I') don't want to turn this in an anti-American topic (shock ), but can anyone from the other side of the pond explain why Chevron can just walk into Congress, stash a few million dollars into the pockets of congressmen, telling them they should not allow CNOOC to buy Unocal, and walk out.

Over here in Europe, this would be called bribing. In the US, it seems to be the most normal thing to do. It's even institutionalized.

How does this work? And why is this kind of dubious practises still around in the 21st century, in the world's most powerful country?

[highlander]

Thanks for asking for evidence Aaron:
lest see, 100K in campaign contributions over three years. Chump Change. How does that equate to waltzing into lawmakers offices and plopping money down on a table in the last two weeks? In America (see I even still spell it with a c ) We have disclosure rules. Why don't you america bashers look at all the campaign contributions, especially those made by chinese interests?
It looks like CNNi is using american style reporting.
You want examples of bribery and corruption, look at our recent supreme court decision on eminent domain.

As for you foreigners....leave your greedy hands off our oil

[threadbear]

While people don their fedoras and trenchcoats and go looking for the 'overlords of the secret govt', I'd say, get back into your jeans and t-shirts and watch CSpan. Hell, what is readily apparent is a vast criminal conspiracy that has every senator and congressman, barring just a few, on a system of bribery. There won't be any real freedom from the overt criminal conspiracy until campaign finance reform is initiated.

[agmart]

Making campaign contributions to politions is standard operating procedure, companies do it, trade unions do it, special interests (including environmentalist) do it often backing both candidates running for elections. There is a word for a company that doesn't do it: Bankrupt

[Liamj]

"you're all as bad as us" is just another form of denial.

Might be easier than facing facts, but it suits the status quo just fine. Specop could be asking how citizens have fought corruption in other countries, or highlighting his favourite campaign against such obscenity in US, but no, rather rally round 'ol glory and fulfil his entirely predictable programming. sigh.