Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil

“Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those opposed to the US-led war.

The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already undermined Tony Blair’s position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a “bureaucratic” excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is “swimming” in oil.”

Update: From a comment to this post by Bob Goodsell:

According to Tom Tomorrow’s blog, the Guardian didn’t get the quote right. The actual quote is:

“Look, the primarily difference — to put it a little too simply — between North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options with Iraq because the country floats on a sea of oil. In the case of North Korea, the country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse and that I believe is a major point of leverage whereas the military picture with North Korea is very different from that with Iraq. The problems in both cases have some similarities but the solutions have got to be tailored to the circumstances which are very different.”

See my blog aapeace.org  or This Modern World for more.

Bob further points out on his blog:

“So to summarize: illegally changing regimes in both countries was/is a given for Wolfowitz. North Korea is likely to starve into regime change without a war being required; Iraq would have taken longer because of its oil wealth. Not much better, but not really saying that the war was all about the oil.”

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WMD will be on Blair’s political headstone
 
Op-ed from Mirror UK

“Such a high crime does not, and will not, melt away; the facts cannot be changed. Tony Blair took Britain to war against Iraq illegally. He mounted an unprovoked attack on a country that offered no threat, and he helped cause the deaths of thousands of innocent people. The judges at the Nuremberg Tribunal following world war two, who inspired much of international law, called this “the gravest of all war crimes”.

Blair had not the shred of a mandate from the British people to do what he did. On the contrary, on the eve of the attack, the majority of Britons clearly demanded he stop. His response was contemptuous of such an epic show of true democracy. He chose to listen only to the unelected leader of a foreign power, and to his court and his obsession.”

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War inna Babylon

War is breaking out among the elites about the lack of WMD’s in Iraq. News of this split is spilling over / being leaked to media worldwide. Bush and Blair are facing increasing pressure to explain why their “evidence” for war has proven false, and why no WMD’s have been found.

Someone at a very high level indeed leaked transcripts of Colin Powell discussing the lack of evidence with Jack Straw. They agreed the evidence was shaky. Yet Powell then went to the UN and repeated the very same shaky evidence as reasons for war.

Whoever leaked the transcript is a major player and they are seriously raising the ante. It is certainly conceivable it was leaked by Straw or Powell. Splits are now occurring in what once was a unified ruling class front about the war. It is reminiscent of early Watergate.

The U.S Congress and the British parliament both plan to investigate if they were told the truth about the MWD’s.

We are still in the early stages. However, Bush and Blair could be in trouble.

‘Potential WMD blow’ for Bush

“A full-scale Congressional inquiry has been ordered on the use and possible abuse of intelligence information on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

The inquiry - being conducted by the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees - is expected to compare comments made by the administration in the run-up to war with what it was given in terms of intelligence briefing.”

Transcripts raise alarm across Nato

“Transcripts of a private conversation between Jack Straw and Colin Powell expressing serious doubts about the reliability of intelligence on Iraq’s banned weapons programme are being circulated in western government circles where there is a growing feeling that officials were deceived into supporting the Iraq war. “

Blair used discredited WMD ‘evidence’

“UK intelligence chiefs warned claim that Iraq could activate banned weapons in 45 minutes came from unreliable defector”

Blair yields on inquiry into WMD intelligence

“Tony Blair will on Wednesday seek to win some breathing space in the bitter row over Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction by promising full co-operation with a parliamentary inquiry into the intelligence used to make the case for war.”

Kucinich demands release of intelligence that led to war

“Congressman Dennis J. Kucinich, leader of the opposition to the Iraq war in the U.S. House, is announcing at a noon news conference on Wednesday that he will use a Resolution of Inquiry to demand the release of the intelligence that led to the war in Iraq, and to Administration claims that Iraq had tons of biological and chemical weapons, delivery systems, and a ‘reconstituted’ nuclear program. (From a Kucinich email newsletter)

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Thank you, Dubya!

“The conflict in Iraq has left lasting rancour, with anti-American sentiment widespread and at an all-time high in the Muslim world, a global research project released yesterday said.

The study, by the Pew Global Attitudes Project, also found a steep decline in public confidence in the United Nations, with a majority of people, even in countries opposed to the war, seeing it as a spent force.”

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I’m impressed by their charity and love 

“Christian group wants to fly anti-gay banners over WDW no-fly zone.

A Christian group in Orlando is calling for a lifting of the no-fly ban over Walt Disney World so that they can charter airplanes to drag anti-gay banners over the park during Gay Days, an unofficial gathering of gays and lesbians at the park. Link “

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