One Potato, Two Potato, Hot Potato…No One Wants to be “Blamed” for Ending the Iraq War

I agree that Big Oil is calling some of the shots for the administration, as it has with every administration, Republican or Democrat, since WWII and before. For example, the 1953 CIA-organized coup against the democratically elected gov't of Iran was at base a struggle for unfettered access to oil.

However, a larger view of this question will lead one to examine one of the least-reported aspects of the American occupation of Iraq. Why are tens of billions of dollars destined to the building in Iraq of at least 7 fully-equipped PERMANENT military bases & the most-militarized and largest 'embassy' complex in the entire world??

Such an investment says there is not, nor will be, any intention of ever leaving Iraq. One of the critical reasons for the invasion and the persistence of attempt to occupy is to hold Iraq as an American outpost in the Mideast, strategically located relative to other oil sources.

Thus, do not be surprised at even the Democrats' reluctance to say 'out now' or to endorse complete withdrawal at any time in the future. eg: Hilary said only weeks ago that the US will retain forces in Iraq for at least a decade after 'withdrawal'.

Part of the dishonesty at the outset of the war that continues to this day is a true explanation of the strategic motivations for the war. If it is not clear to Americans, it is certainly clear to the people of the Mideast.

BStewart,MLS

You wrote, 'No one knows why we are still in a war that no one can explain a purpose for anymore, except that Bush and Cheney can’t live with a "loss" on their record . . . In short, we are having Americans and Iraqis die so that we can avoid being "humiliated."'

Horse-feathers! We're still in this war because the oligarchs who run Big Oil and the defense industry also run the White House, and they haven't told Bush and Cheney to stand down just yet.

In the short-term, this isn't about 'cheap oil' for Americans: it's about price-gouging and positive ROI for Big Oil and its shareholders. Operation Iraqi Liberation brings a perceived risk to the oil supply and this pushes up the price but not the cost, and since the world's demand has not diminished, we get the rather predictable result of seeing Big Oil reap the biggest profits in all of human history.

Mid-term, this still isn't about 'cheap oil' for Americans. America's ruling class seeks to gain control of the global price of energy by controlling the rate at which oil is brought to market. Control the world's oil supply, you control the price of energy and its derivative products: electricity, heating, transportation, agriculture, refrigeration, plastics, etc. And yes, gentle readers, that IS what world domination looks like in the 21st century, and that's what they are trying to do. Think of Big Oil as the Fed and the price of oil as the interest rate and you start to see how the pieces fit together inside the devious, twisted minds of BushCo's fascistic minders.

Long-term, Big Oil, like the rest of us, is dead. Why? Because the earth's mantle holds more oil than the world's oceans hold water. Granted, it does take a ton of technical, financial and organisational know-how to get it out, refine it, ship it and deliver it . . . But for all practical purposes, the supply is nearly infinite, and the more we work, the more we get. Peak Oil is a myth: in the long run oil will be cheaper than beer and the power of Big Oil will be replaced by some new 'essential good' with which the grandchildren of our oligarchs will fleece our own grandchildren through manipulating perceptions of value and scarcity beyond all reason.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abiogenic_petroleum_origin
http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/wsj4.htm
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=38645
http://www.amazon.com/Deep-Hot-Biosphere-Thomas-Gold/dp/0387985468
http://www.theeastindiacompany.com/

which is to enmass refuse to go to Iraq any longer?

yes, they took an oath to the Commander and Chief but when that CinC has and his junta has perpetrated such misfeasance, malfeasance and nonfeasance as they have, any soldier could no longer be held to their original contract.

As far as the Military courts go, if enough soldiers simply did not get on that plane the Army would not be able to incarcerate and later try so many who refuse to follow orders. The Military Courts Martial system would collapse, the occupation would end overnight as the soldiers already there get word of what was happening at home. They would pack up and march to the exits as fast as wheels could carry them!

And it is more than just the troops needing to refuse to sacrifice any more of themselves and their families. When will one lone high ranking General sacrifice his pension for the sake of his men and do the honorable act of telling them that it is OK to just say "NO MORE"?

If something like this does not happen, then the military deserves its fate which is abysmal to say the least! Do they not realize that they are part and parcel to this farce going as long as it has and having literally no end in sight.

"Oil" is the three letter word that is never uttered. Neither Democrat nor Republican nor the dastardly Joe Lieberman will ever say the three letter word. I recall the Clown Prince once making a remark to the effect that he did not want the oil fields controlled by terrorists. Since for once Bush did not speak with forked tongue, Rove banished the word from the Chimp's limited vocabulary forever. The MSM will not speak nor print the three letter word. Who will tell the oil companies of the U.S. and Britain that their scheme to once again control Iraqi oil is doomed? Carl Levin from the great state of Automobile has derailed any realistic chance of defunding. This war will go on until someone with guts stands up to big oil and the military industrial complex. The last president that did that did not serve out his first term.

Want to see the bushies really squirm? In addition to giving him hell over Iraq, begin a REAL investigation into 9/11, and watch them scurry like the roaches they are, looking for a hidey-hole.

Maybe the best way to end the war is to remove the warmongers from power first, then negotiate a diplomatic solution for Iraq with the region and the Iraqi factions. Or maybe once Spud Bush and Dick Tater are gone peace will break out spontaneously!

This administration, enabled by their sycophants in Congress for the past six years, has blood on their hands and is responsible for the murders of thousands of innocent people, starting with 9-11, followed by Afghanistan and now Iraq. I am reminded of a verse from one of Dylan's classics "Blowing in the Wind":

"How many deaths will it take 'til he knows,
that too many people have died?
The answer my friend is Blowing in the Wind,
the answer is Blowing in the Wind."

The complicity and duplicity of the neocons is beyond disgust and reprehension. They do not care about what is good for our country here at home, nor abroad. As far as I am concerned, they are ALL war criminals and should be extradited to the Hague for crimes against humanity in an international court.

...but victory for the rest of us. And then? It'll be up to us.