Secret U.S. Plans For Iraq's Oil

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.maconareaonline.com/news.asp?id=10198

MACON,GA.- The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.

Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protestors claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists."

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

more

[jn2375]

1. sure now it comes out

[intheozone]

2. If true, is this not an impeachable offense???

Really, how much are we supposed to allow the WH and its goons in Congress to get away with???

[dbt]

5. One nugget from the Clinton Witch Hunt:

An impeachable offense is pretty much whatever the Hou$e Of Repre$entative$ says one is. Snowballs would probably have a better chance in Hell.

[pokercat999]

23. Did any of the oil executives give Bush a BJ?

Is FU Chaney under Bush's desk? Are any interns playing hide the wennie with Bush?

No? OK no impeachment for the lying war criminal, and the worst president in history.

If I didn't love this country so much, I wouldn't HATE these MFers so much. I keep telling myself the pendulum will swing the other way, America will become a great democracy again, I just hope I live long enough to see it.


On edit maybe I don't really want to live THAT long.

[Toots]

53. Is Gannon an oil executive now?

I would bet there were BJs given under the desk in the oval office but who wants to investigate. I think Ken Starr is chomping at the bit just waiting to dig up some real evidence of wrong doing. Ya right......

[natrat]

56. it's a petroleum based love nest

[cyberpj]

35. How can we impeach him when he owns congress and judicial?

No majority in congress so unless Repubs turn against him we will never get him impeached.

:(

[doublethink]

42. Ya know ....

this is just one more thing on the table of questionable offenses that are considered 'Impeachable Crimes' from war crimes to you name it that our President has on his plate. But ... the Repubs run the House, Senate, Executive, and Judicial Branch of government. It's called a
Dictatorship, backed by Corporate Fascism. Ohhhh and the so called Patriot Act kinda impedes the old Constitution for us to do anything about it. Okay lets vote um out ... uh Diebold. Any other ideas? We need to keep raising our voices, raising concern in our complacent society and never give up. Keep the faith. :)

[calimary]

47. Welcome to DU, doublethink - and you couldn't be more correct.

These are MULTIPLE impeachable offenses, especially if we use the Clinton test for the gravity or dimension or seriousness of the offense(s).

And one more thing you said that's just SO important - YES we MUST keep raising our voices, raising concern in our complacent society, and NEVER GIVE UP!!!!!

Look, they're already caving to the pressure - they've been forced to close down those "town hall" meetings on the Social Security PIRATIZATION scam they're trying desperately (and so far unsuccessfully) to sell to the public. They've had to rethink their presentation and their strategy, because the heat's building and they can't take it. Maybe the heat isn't enough to burn them out of office or shove them out of power - yet. But the last thing we should do now is give up and stop fighting, and let the temperature die down. Gotta do just the opposite - keep the fires stoked.

[LIBERALNAVYVET]

55. WELCOME TO DU

IT FIGURES THAT THIS ADMIN. WOULD DO THIS I WANT IMPEACHMENT PROCEDINGS ASAP!!!!!!!!

[cthrumatrix]

3. Paul O'Neil said this in his book...the corporate media IGNORED it

[woosh]

8. It made it on 60 minutes at the time

I recall there was a bru-ha-ha over the fact that CBS showed a document that was labeled "confidential".

[AirAmFan]

46. Anybody have a link on the NSC document O'Neill showed to 60 Minutes?

You have a much better memory than I. I had to google to remember this:

From http://www.counterpunch.org/cockburn01142004.html :

January 14, 2004

"Alexander Cockburn

Bush, Oil and Iraq: Some Truth at Last

(snip)

What bothers the White House is one particular National Security Council document shown in the 60 Minutes interview, clearly drafted in the early weeks of the new administration, which showed plans for the post-invasion dispersal of Iraq's oil assets among the world's great powers, starting with the major oil companies.

For the brief moment it was on the tv screen one could see that this bit of paper, stamped Secret, was undoubtedly one of the most explosive documents in the history of imperial conspiracy. Here, dead center in the camera's lense, was the refutation of every single rationalization for the attack on Iraq ever offered by George W. Bush and his co-conspirators, including Tony Blair That NSC document told 60 Minutes' vast audience the attack on Iraq was not about national security in the wake of 9/ll. It was not about weapons of mass destruction. It was not about Saddam Hussein's possible ties to Osama bin Laden. It was about stealing Iraq's oil, same way the British stole it three quarter of a century earlier. The major oil companies drew up the map, handed it to their man George, helped him (through such trusties as James Baker) steal the 2000 election and then told him to get on with the attack."

[Roland99]

31. Ayup. And wasn't it in the Bush Family Fortunes video from Greg Palast?

Ah...it's based on Palast.

SECRET U.S. PLANS FOR IRAQI OIL
http://www.gregpalast.com/opeconthemarch.html

Watch the Newsnight Report
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/default.stm

Read the Full BBC Television Story
http://www.gregpalast.com/detail.cfm?artid=417&row=0

[Coastie for Truth]

4. I am beginning to think that Nuclear Reactors

are the lesser of the evils -- and the risks associated with nuclear reactors (Per Rasmussen Report, WASH-740) are less then the human cost of the Americans and Iraqis we have killed so far (and that we will go on killing across the oil lands of the world).

Sad to say - we are down to two alternatives ---

1. NeoCon wars.
2. Nuclear power.

Because - as the ANWR vote shows -- hydrogen, photovoltaics, wind turbines, etc. are now "off the table."

[pokercat999]

24. I live and play on Lake Anna in North Central VA.

Our lake was created for use as a cooling pond (some "pond" 17 miles long with 250 miles of shoreline) for the Nuclear power plant located less than 10 miles from my home. So far....so good.....lol.

[Spinzonner]

44. How are the frogs looking these days

and I don't mean the French

[pokercat999]

50. Frogs ok, but you should see the freaky fish......nt

[cliss]

30. "Conservation"

Conservation? What conservation? Do we need that?

A statement I've read "The American way of life is non-negotiable".

The level of self-delusion is staggering, mind-blowing. I read these articles, and I'm convinced these people live in a drug-induced bubble.

And yet, the realities of what's happening MUST be intruding into their little delusional bubble. Because they know where their fix comes from. They seem willing to spend all our money and kill lots of people to get it.

This reminds me so much of a man who's running out of firewood. In order to stay warm, he starts breaking up his furniture. Throws in the Louis XIV chair in order to keep warm. Suicidal, that's what this is.

Suicidal. That's the only word for it.

[Coastie for Truth]

34. I am not going to argue "Conservation"

Although I use the term "Realism"

1. My wife prefers "econo-cars" and has always driven a small car (Corvair, Cavalier, now a Corolla, with a Prius on order).

2. I traded in my SUV on a Prius some time ago (the old one - the one that looks like a Toyota Echo).

3. When the kids got out of college and on their own - we down sized massively. From a 2700 square foot detached house to a 1200 square foot condo in high rise.

4. As the realtors say "Location, Location, Location" - we bought in a "Planned Community" - "Transit Village". Three miles to the commuter train to San Francisco, walking distance to the "Light Rail." Shopping, stores, etc. are all with 2 miles.

5. Since the move we have cut our driving by 65%-70%.

6. We keep the condo a few degrees cooler in the winter -- and a few degrees warmer in the summer.

7. We went from CRT computer displays to LCD ages ago (only use 1/30th the energy).

BTW - as a working engineer - I have worked in nuclear power for a short time, followed by alternative, renewable, and Green energy systems. And as a grad student I taught thermo and engineering economics.

I would prefer a "clean burn" hydrogen car (either IC or fuel cell) - but where do you get the hydrogen.

I prefer mass transit - but that requires Hydrogen or a fossil or bio mass fuel.

I have no problems with town housees, high rises, garden apartments, etc. Never really like the "exurbs" and I really didn't like a massive yard.

[CindyDale]

39. Thank you for your ethical use of energy - I admire you.

I have a question. What do you think of the low speed electric cars for the city? I am starting to look into them.

[liberalmike27]

54. Great Stuff

Fantastic that you do all this stuff. One thing, an LCD uses 1/3 of the energy, not 1/30th. I just picked up a 19" MAG Innovision LCD, and it uses 50 watts, while my old 17" used 150 watts.

Did you put fluorescent lights in your sockets? I have a small house, and when I changed all the lights out, I saved ten dollars a month, and we have cheap power here in Alabama. I can imagine how much you'd save. Some don't like that type of light, but if you can put up with it, it is well worth it, and you won't change bulbs nearly as often. Some fixtures don't work well though, as they don't fit well.

What a surprise, it's about oil. I can't believe so many people don't understand that this was the driving motivation for the war, but I suppose it is partly the media, partly the fact that the majority of our population are morons, and partly the fact that people want to believe some rose-colored concept about our intervention.

I am proud to be an American, but I'm not proud of the way we use our military, especially in Iraq.

[Nickster]

6. This is news? Heck I knew this a long time ago.

I kinda thought this was common knowledge, just not necessarily verified common knowledge.

[muriel_volestrangler]

13. The fights between "Big Oil" and the neo-cons are new to me

I particularly like this quote:

Philip Carroll, the former CEO of Shell Oil USA who took control of Iraq's oil production for the US Government a month after the invasion, stalled the sell-off scheme.

Mr Carroll told us he made it clear to Paul Bremer, the US occupation chief who arrived in Iraq in May 2003, that: "There was to be no privatization of Iraqi oil resources or facilities while I was involved."
...
Ari Cohen, of the neo-conservative Heritage Foundation, told Newsnight that an opportunity had been missed to privatize Iraq's oil fields. He advocated the plan as a means to help the US defeat Opec, and said America should have gone ahead with what he called a "no-brainer" decision.

Mr Carroll hit back, telling Newsnight, "I would agree with that statement. To privatize would be a no-brainer. It would only be thought about by someone with no brain."

[CindyDale]

43. Shell and Heritage Foundation are both interested parties; also Fluor

"Shell's Exploration & Production business is leading the drive and is preparing to help Iraq with joint technical studies. At the same time Shell is expanding several training and scholarship programmes which are aimed at meeting Iraq's immediate needs and at building a long-term relationship with Iraqi personnel in the country's oil and gas industry.

"Other Shell businesses, including Shell Chemicals, have already established positions through distributors and Shell Oil Products is planning to bring Shell Lubricants to the Iraqi market in the near future , also through a distributor. Shell Trading is involved in marketing Iraqi crude oil.


http://212.2.162.45/news/story.asp?j=136756436&p=y36757y4z&n=136757196

Heritage Foundation was mostly funded by Scaife (Gulf Oil, a US wholesaler).

Fluor, another company Carroll headed, has won contracts:

A joint venture of Aliso Viejo-based engineering and construction management company Fluor Corp. and London-based AMEC plc will build, repair and manage water and sewerage systems in Iraq under two contracts worth $1.1 billion.

http://www.bizjournals.com/losangeles/stories/2004/03/22/daily29.html

edit: corrected typo

[Ready4Change]

7. So, when will Cheney release his Energy policy meeting papers?

Funny, never hear about that anymore.

C'mon, Dick, it's been 4 years. You must've figured out your filing system by now. Even Hillary found her papers sooner than this.

Oh, wait, I forgot. You KNOW where the papers are. You just refuse to turn them over in violation of direct court orders. Quite the Prince, Mr. Cheney.

[slor]

9. Why do you conspiracy theorist people insist on...

interrupting my damn Michael Jackson coverage! DAMMIT! STOP HATING FREEDOM!!!

[Nickster]

17. Hey about them durn steroids? eom

[Pachamama]

21. Yeah, and now I don't have any Scott Peterson news! Distracting me with

details about a plan from Neo-cons and Oil companies to take Iraq's oil even pre-war....sheesh....some people just don't have their priorities...

Guess I got to join you now in the Michael Jackson watching :hi:

(sarcasm now off)

[chlamor]

10. The decision makers

Although I wouldn't put the entire weight of the murderous decision on big oil. It also served the interests of the Pentagon and the neocons. They weren't just along for the ride.

[Zynx]

11. Love to see Big Oil's face when the Iraqis nationalize them

Exploiting Middle East countries is a bad idea.

[muriel_volestrangler]

14. But that's the interesting thing here

Big Oil wanted a nationalized Iraqi oil company that remained in OPEC - so that prices would stay high and stable.

[Zynx]

15. So? Its good for the Iraqis if they have high oil prices.

And oil prices are going to be high for good anyway.

So long as we don't get away with looting the country - which we won't, I don't particularly care. It sounds like the less obnoxious plan won out in the short term - but I don't trust Big Oil not to try to get involved and loot Iraq anyway.

I'm just saying that any oil company or other company that starts being abusive in Iraq is going to wind up nationalized or outright seized. That's not a good part of the world to be a douche in.

[Frederik]

26. Exactly

That is really very interesting, in light of the current "Peak Oil" scare.

"In addition, Ms. Jaffe says US oil companies are not warm to any plan that would undermine Opec, "They have to worry about the price of oil."

"I'm not sure that if I'm the chair of an American company, and you put me on a lie detector test, I would say high oil prices are bad for me or my company."

The former Shell oil boss agrees. In Houston, he told Newsnight, "Many neo-conservatives are people who have certain ideological beliefs about markets, about democracy, about this that and the other. International oil companies without exception are very pragmatic commercial organizations. They don't have a theology." "

[walkon]

12. Great quote from the article

Mr Carroll hit back, telling Newsnight, "I would agree with that statement. To privatize would be a no-brainer. It would only be thought about by someone with no brain."

In response to neo-con feeling that decision to sell off oil was a "no brainer".

[Cocoa]

22. I liked that too

this article provides a nice list of names of people willing to speak on the record about this plan, for any U.S. TV news program to interview, if they cared to.

[CindyDale]

51. If Carroll is in Iraq, then he is neocon, too

Just a different faction of neocon from Heritage. He is on the supplier side, while Heritage is on the wholesaler side of the oil industry.

[LynnTheDem]

16. And screw whatever the IRAQIS may happen to want.

Too bad for bush & the neocons that so many Iraqis know English & read world news. Then again, the Iraqis knew what bush was after from the get-go; they don't need any news articles to tell them.

[redacted]

18. Secret US plans for Iraq's oil (By Greg Palast, BBC Newsnight)

By Greg Palast
Reporting for Newsnight

The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.

Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protesters claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists".

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.

MORE

(Greg Palast's film - the result of a joint investigation by Newsnight and Harper's Magazine - will be broadcast on Thursday, 17 March, 2005. Newsnight is broadcast every weekday at 10.30pm on BBC Two in the UK. You can also watch the programme online - available for 24 hours after broadcast - from the Newsnight website.)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm

[nolabels]

19. How can be a secret if everybody in the world knows about it?

Greg's a good guy and every thing, but I think the cats out of the bag already

[HereSince1628]

20. The day the Cheney energy task force notes are released

will be a day we better understand the Iraq war.

[Stephanie]

25. we'll never see them

do you think?

[HereSince1628]

32. Actually, yes. The Neocons are braggarts I expect them to be

on prominent display in the Museum of American Hegemony coming soon to the national mall.

I think the American Enterprise Institute made the opening contribution to the construction fund.

I expect it too prominent among the items desplayed in the wing dedicated to the defining moments of Empire.

Cheney's smirking face will adorn the wall just above the glass enclosed case.

[Stephanie]

33. They will mount Cheney's face on the wall?

Good! I'd buy a ticket to that museum to see the Cheney taxidermy.

[mike_c]

27. it is a good day to be a cynical curmudgeon....

Most of the predicitions I've made about the venality, greed, and raw hunger for hegemony that underlie Washington politics in the last several years have come true. Gee, who'da thought it was about the oil and global imperialism, rather than freeing the Iraqis from a brutal life under Saddam Hussein (they're SO much better off now, huddling in the rubble) and saving the world from non-existent weapons of mass distraction...?

[DemoTex]

28. Amy Jaffe of Rice University's James Baker Institute ..

I wonder if she is of that old Texas-mafia Jaffe family from San Antonio (Morris Jaffe and his son Doug). Those were some heavy hitters with connections all over the world's oil patches. They were also friends of the exiled Pahlavi family (Shah of Iran).

On edit: The San Antonio Jaffes were also thick with Bu$h's old buddy James Bath.

[ewagner]

29. Good catch....

there is no such thing as coincidence..........

[ElectroPrincess]

36. The exiled Pahlavi family (Shah of Iran) = Big Trouble! /eom

[TomClash]

37. Oh what a surprise!

Gee, oil. Ya think?

[LdyGuique]

38. You people are overlooking a major piece of subtext here

MACON, GA is using BBC as a major source for news on our government? Macon GA is hardly the hotbed of the liberal South -- it's as conservative as it comes. And, they've reached the point of frustration on poor news reporting by Reuters and AP to the point that they're using BBC?

Yes, we have a problem right here in River City.

[yurbud]

40. I hope more local news sources follow suit--it will shame mainstream media

[cthrumatrix]

41. you mean Corproate Owend Media.....

[yurbud]

45. when you put it like that, they can't be shamed, can they?

[evworldeditor]

48. Original BBC Source

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm

[wiggs]

49. kick. nt

[OzarkDem]

52. kick

[malaise]

57. Secret US plans for Iraq's oil

I'm trying real hard not to laugh.
-----------------------------------------
Thursday, 17 March, 2005, 15:41 GMT

By Greg Palast
Reporting for Newsnight

The Bush administration made plans for war and for Iraq's oil before the 9/11 attacks, sparking a policy battle between neo-cons and Big Oil, BBC's Newsnight has revealed.


Two years ago today - when President George Bush announced US, British and Allied forces would begin to bomb Baghdad - protesters claimed the US had a secret plan for Iraq's oil once Saddam had been conquered.

In fact there were two conflicting plans, setting off a hidden policy war between neo-conservatives at the Pentagon, on one side, versus a combination of "Big Oil" executives and US State Department "pragmatists".

"Big Oil" appears to have won. The latest plan, obtained by Newsnight from the US State Department was, we learned, drafted with the help of American oil industry consultants.
More - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269.stm

Make sure you watch the Newsnight video from mins.15.17 on link.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsa/n5ctrl/tvseq/newsnight/newsnight.ram
edit -added video link

[NJCher]

58. pic of

Here's Mr. Carroll, big oil war strategist:




Cher

[MiniMe]

59. I have a feeling......

That this is why congress and the senate and Jebbie are spending so much time on Terri Shaivo, to deflect attention off of this. It is the same old strategy. Disgusting to play with that poor woman to deflect attention from their real goals. Rove is a f###ing pig.

[Moderator]

60. kick to combine

[Melodybe]

61. BBC: US secret plans for Iraqi Oil

there is an interesting article from the BBC, here is a link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/4354269...

Plans for invasion long before 9/11, it is a good read.

[Nancy Waterman]

62. Link doesn't work

Can you post some of the article?

[BushSpeak]

63. I've got the BBC Nightline video, if

someone has a site to post it.

Now, I'll have to find a program to edit real video to cut out the 10' segment.

Amazing to see these big wigs admitting the in-fighting in the establishment.

A bit off the subject, but does anyone have the inside story of Wolfowitz's proposed nomination to the IMF? Was it a "moving the pawns around" or a "thanks for the memories" type of promotion in relation to this "big oil" vs the neocons shoot out? Does this signal a loss of influence of the neocons in the power structure?

Sorry, but I've had spyware hassles and been out of touch for a while.

TIA