So, presuming the Sunnis DO eliminate the Al Qaeda ‘threat,’ what then? Does anyone think they’re going to ‘forget’ that this country invaded THEIR country, overthrew THEIR government and replaced it with the hated Shiites? That’s a fallacious approach at best.

Let’s see, the Kurds are drawing Turkey into the fray (and to some extent Iran), Turkey pulls its U.S. ambassador and Putin is schmoozing with Iran. Mission Accomplished? What mission? We’ve only just returned to about where we were in 2003, just about when the wheels started coming off. Just about when we began demonstrating our remarkable ability to NOT ‘get the job done.’ I wonder just how much ‘shock and awe’ Iraq and its neighbors are feeling just about now.

Prediction: four years from now, the cry from the Right will be that the Dems ‘lost’ Iraq. The scary part is, that song will play.

oil.

Oil,, that’s right,, it’s OIL..
And don’t forget to use Uppercase when you spell OIL!!
OIL IS WHAT MAKES THE WORLD GO AROUND!!
The price of oil is going up!!
Now let’s see what happens to the price of other things..

LEST WE FORGET!!
Just as it takes a village to raise a child..
It Take alot of OIL to raise a crop of food!!
And every village needs their Idiot,,
So That’s where Nancy Pelosi fits into this, and her resolution against Turkey..

Oil at $100 or even $90 or perhaps todays $80+ prices will be enough to spur others to develop the ‘OIL INDUSTRY KILLER’ power source that will have the arabs floating in a sea of worthless muck. Then again, we didn’t find it important enough during the 70’s oil embargoes to put the concerted effort of a ‘moon program’ type endeavour, chances are they will keep bilking us with the help of our government and the monetary assistance of our tax rolls.

Jed-
Now, you’re talking. Market forces driving demand for alternative energy – you are starting to think like a capitalist!

So let me get this straight. Saddam and al qaeda were at extreme odds with each other, and saddam did not tolerate them in his country. We come in and do our thing, then somehow defeat al qaeda in iraq? So we defeated a group that before our invasion, did not exist in any significant way. Way to go team, we dealt a blow to a group we nurtured into existence. So we could have just not invaded that country, and we would have accomplished the same thing. Wow.

We are there for OIL and we will remain there for OIL. Bases are being built and we will protect our OIL supply and our way of life. (At least until the OIL stops pumping.)

Our oil? If it’s OUR oil why is it under Iraq, Iran and Soudy Arabia?

Jed,

You remember Manifest Destiny, don’t you? We’ve just expanded it some.

wow, I didn’t realize it was a global manifestation. I guess it depends on what color glasses you use to filter what you see whether it is a bad thing or a good thing. I think when Adolf tried to do it we thought it to be a bad thing.

Now that Iraq is giving major construction projects to Iran and China there can be no doubt this was wrong and getting out asap makes sense.

Ray, are you saying that it is OK for American companies to move manufacturing operations to China in order to take advantage of the slavelike employment conditions there, but it’s not OK for Iraqi’s to take advantage of the same? I don’t quite understand your double standards, can you see why the rest of the world considers Americans to be hipocrites that talk a good piece about liberty, equality and justice but when it comes to action it actually supports regimes that impune on all those ‘values’?

Jed, when nearly 4000 Americans die to “liberate” a country American companies should get the contracts.

even if those companies instigated the ‘liberation’ because they knew they would be able to overcharge the treasury as much as they wanted?

Maybe if the Iraqi’s had requested that ‘liberation’ I could see how you would demand some sort of remuneration, however, the iraqi people had no say in it or the subsequent mishandling of the whole situation.
As it stands, from our actions, it would seem evident to the iraqi that the americans only wish to ‘liberate’ them from profiting off their oil.
Take a look at the thread mentioning oil on this site and you may find the sweet deal american oil companies want to impose on the Iraqis.

that’s equivalent to forcing a woman who was impregnated by rape to pay restitution and child support for her attacker. Sound REPUBLICAN LOGIC though. ‘Iraq asked for it by sitting on top of all that sweet, delicious petroleum.’

Don’t forget Jed, it’s OUR oil.