[M_B_S]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'P')eople who oppose the war in Iraq have the habit of pointing out that the excuses the administration gave for going to war were lies. True enough, but in concentrating on their lies we have learned how to not talk about the real reasons for the war. Men do fight for God and Country, but the rich and powerful fight for wealth and power. This does not prevent them from sincerely professing higher motives. American elite education is in large part the study of a rhetoric of elite, high-minded self-delusion. The writings of George Kennan and Milton Friedman are good textbooks. But we all know that sincerity of belief in one's own goodness does not make it so. Nor is it worth our time to burrow into the statements politicians make in order to find some inkling of a deeper motive. Men fight for many things, but that the rich and powerful fight for wealth and power, no matter what they say and even believe, should be taken as a given. It is the rich and powerful who get us into wars.

[Carlhole]

Sums up nicely what I've always thought about the Iraq War.

That's what has made those attacks in NY and Washington so suspicious - I mean, aside from alot of the suspicious details themselves. I wonder if we'll ever get to know the details of Cheney's Energy Task Force?

If the US leaves Iraq, it will only create a vacuum for future aggressors.

The Bush Administration tried to win the war on the cheap with too few troops while at the same time alienating Europe. I think we in this nation suffer from some delusion that our military power is an unconquerable force. It's not.

{topic moved from Peak Oil Discussion by Shannymara}

[dukey]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'T')hese are documents turned over by the Commerce Department, under a March 5, 2002 court order as a result of Judicial Watch’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit concerning the activities of the Cheney Energy Task Force. The documents contain a map of Iraqi oilfields, pipelines, refineries and terminals, as well as 2 charts detailing Iraqi oil and gas projects, and “Foreign Suitors for Iraqi Oilfield Contracts.” The documents are dated March 2001. Click here to view the press release.