><snip>
> and (B) we didn't go there for the oil in the first place.
>

>Come on Daniel, you know that's not true. Oil is the reason for being there. Not to steal oil perhaps but certainly to try and ensure stability in the region so that the oil can keep flowing.

Hi Jos,

I hv to disagree with you here;
Oil WAS comming steadily from Iraq to the rest of the world (Oil4Food etc)
By invading Iraq, US just made sure that THEY are the ones holding the oil faucets there.

>Let's not try to shroud these events in terms of a humanitarian effort to enlighten the people of the world. This is a war motivated by economics. Nothing wrong with that per se as we all need to work and earn a living and energy is just a necessary part of that equation.

How you can possibly agree with that ??
Aren't these economic rules/patterns of past centuries, when one country wld attack another just to get access to the sea, or some important peace of land. Even worse, you can compare it with simple jungle rules where Lyon (or elephant) never waits in a que for water well. He simply *gets there* and that is it.
I was (naively) hoping that 21st century wld be somewhat different :(

What if tmrw they discover huge Oil wells let say - in Switzerland ?!
I can bet you 1$, that NSA/CIA/HLS (etc) wld *routinely* come up with
'clear evidence' that William Tell was actually Osama.BL's
GrandGrandGrandUncle, and also that they found massive bow/arrows (WMD) ready to hit 'Big Apple' at any moment!
What one can possibly do to defend himself but - invade Switzerland... <g>

Sadly, more then couple of people in US (and elsewhere) wld even believe that :))