Abizaid: "Of Course It's About Oil, We Can't Really Deny That"

Think Progress:

During a round table discussion on "the Fight for Oil, Water and a Healthy Planet" at Stanford University on Saturday, Gen. John Abizaid (Ret.), the former CENTCOM Commander, said that "of course" the Iraq war is "about oil":

"Of course it's about oil, we can't really deny that," Abizaid said of the Iraq campaign early on in the talk.

"We've treated the Arab world as a collection of big gas stations," the retired general said. "Our message to them is: Guys, keep your pumps open, prices low, be nice to the Israelis and you can do whatever you want out back. Osama and 9/11 is the distilled essence that represents everything going on out back."

Read the whole story: Think Progress

Comments

[Sundialsvc4]

We are "Damned by the truth," spoken plainly by a seasoned military commander who bore the top-level responsibility for the lives of thousands of men and women ... lives which were put in danger (and which continue to be in danger), for no good reason at all, by bloodthirsty BUSINESSMEN pretending to be politicians.

To my way of thinking (and the law's)...
(a) Any circumstance which puts the material gain of a decision-maker within the scope of that person's decision, is an unlawful conflict of interest. Doing so, particularly in this context, is definitely a "high crime."

(b) For the Commander-in-Chief to do so is treason.

I simply expect such crimes to result in immediate impeachment proceedings, .. launched at once against any and every "civil officer" suspected of engaging in it, anywhere in our government.

The Congress' docket should be -full- of such proceedings, all of them mandatory for immediate consideration: this is a law-enforcement obligation, not a political, procedural, or policy move.

[outnow]

General Sanchez is not too happy about being tagged for the violations of the "Code of Military Conduct" and the violations of the "Geneva Conventions." He blames the press for this, i.e., "{T}hier extreme bias and single-minded focus on Abu Ghraib." There were 20 points of interrogation, 12 of which violated thye former and 4 of which violated the latter.

There was no grand strategy. Politicians wanted to preserve their reputations and their political power.

There was a catastrophic failure by our National Security Council in not using the Powell Doctrine. Our political leaders have failed by placing loyalty to their political party and lust for power ahead of their Constitutional duties. The forgot their oath to support and defend the Constitution because of their own self-interest.

General Abizaid seems to state that it was all about the oil.

[Raster]

So? Is there a problem with that? Give US a clue here.

[Marichu]

What's truly amazing is that Bush and what's left of his administration will still refute that our incursion into Iraq was not about oil (including the first Gulf War). What is wrong with honestly saying what we all know? Denying the truth only makes Bush appear disconnected from reality.

[oafishcad]

Appear?

[xrepublican]

C'mon.... the war in Iraq is REALLY about speeding up the Apocalypse and the return of Jesus....

Good old George doesn't care about what history will think 'cause there won't BE any 'history' after the Rapture.....

we're stuck in the middle of a bunch of religious fanatics - binLaden and alQuaeda on one side and the fundie/Zionist/Apocalyptic crowd on the other......

there's a reason the Founding Fathers wanted religion kept out of government - they were all too familiar with the 'tolerance' and understanding shown by the Puritains.....(NOT)

let the fundie crew loose and we'll be nuking the Islamic world (isn't that already on the schedule?), drawing and quartering heretics, stoning gays and burning witches at the stake

[Marichu]

Oafishcad
Appear- as in obvious or easily perceived.

[oafishcad]

The bottom line in Iraq is the control (and privatization for the corporations) of oil. But there is far more to it. It's also about the executive branch lying to and laughing at the American public and the rest of the world. We were all tools of the Corporatists and their transfer of assets to the financial elite using the bodies of thousands of dead and injured. Democracy? I don't see any Democracy. And even if someday there is Democracy in Iraq, who's to say it wouldn't have come even sooner if we hadn't invaded and occupied Iraq?

[realitytrumpsbull]

You mean, all those 'energy' companies that've
been staking out our nations' capitol these
last several decades weren't just doing it
out of the goodness of their hearts, trying
to keep prowlers away etc? Awwww....

[Dejack]

Well, it's looking like the top brass love their country above politics after all....
I'm beginning to feel a glimmer of hope...

[gcallaghan]

The top brass held their tongues far too long to credit them with loving their country. Abizaid's is not a display of patriotism, it is a belated and calculated move to publicly distance himself from this administration's policies because he sees a day of accounting coming right behind the 08 elections.
Until and unless his word is given under oath as part of a plea deal, I doubt we'll get meaningful truth from him.

[getoffmedz]

General John Abizaid is an honest man and the first senior military leader to declare the REAL REASON FOR THE WAR IN IRAQ.

It's all about the fucking oil!

Thank you, General. Your have made the entire Bush/Cheney swine herd, complete liars. Something many of us knew all along.

[TLV]

Don't forget about the honesty of retired general, Anthony Zinni. He said that the war in Iraq was planned at least 13 years ago. It had nothing to do with 9/11 then either!

[speakingtruth2power]

This war will have cost US trillions in past and future expenditures. At least
a third of that is planned profiteering by the neocons and their supporters.
It's not just about oil, it's about big money for killing women and children!!!

[gappytoofcondi]

Gee, who the hell told him? This war was ALWAYS about the oil. The nexus of it more than likely began after Bushco took office at a meeting with Ken Lay et. al. when the energy policy was formulated. My guess is that they believed it was a win win situation. No cost for the oil companies to control the oil fields in Iraq.

The gross level of imcompetence displayed by all involved in this cluster F should be punished. Too bad Reid and Pelosi are a bunch of lying weasels not any different from those in the WH.

[realitytrumpsbull]

It's good to see that AbbaZabba finally yakked
up the truth, and it's good to see that Congress
passed the War Profiteering Prevention Act,
I have a l i t t l e more faith in the integrity
of our Congress and our military, now...

[2Truthy]

realitytrumps, now we can all sleep at night with that big money party War Profiterring Prevention Act.

http://tootruthy.blogspot.com/2006/09/clintonbush-one-too-many-sleepovers.html

[PKSSK]

Link is suppose to be humorous, but sadly, I see much truth in it. The Tsunami and Katrina contributions went to rebuilding the areas for the rich, while further neglect of the poor continues. Free trade (NAFTA) began with Clinton and continued with Bush.

Clinton will be a continuance of what we have now, the expansion of the US global empire of hegemony.

[olivia]

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8677389869548020370

Explains absolutely everything. Everything.

[Dejack]

Even if Paul won, he wouldn't "win" - the Rethugs
would rig the polls. They've done it twice already.

[Dejack]

Oops, posted this under the wrong headline....

[TLV]

It's actually about more than oil. It's about the PNAC and making Israel the center of the Middle East while demonizing Arab nations.

Through terrifying plane crashes, fire, explosions, and impossibly falling buildings, you were forced to accept that Muslims - all 2.6 billion of them - are our enemies. Israel's corrupt faction of their government wanted this more than anything. And Israel got what they wanted by bankrolling the operation, supplying the "high-jackers" and through the cooperation of the Bush administration Israel-enabler team headed by Cheney and Rumfeld. And you thought the events of the day made Bush and Giuliani heroes. How do you feel now, suckers?

[gardengoddess]

The problem with that idea is it will never happen. Israel will never be the center of the Middle East. But let's not go overboard; none of the hijackers were Israeli, remember? And if you think Israel could hire 15 Arab men to kill themselves, you need to see a doctor, either to have your head removed from where you've got it stuck, or to have it examined.

Everything IS NOT Israel's fault - period.

[talkingdog]

The oil is only one of the reasons. Another in my mind is all the guanantees of riches to the businessmen who'd support the effort.

That and who knows how much oil has been simply loaded up on tankers and sailed off into the sunset, to the fat off shore bank accounts of the owners of those accounts....who could be...connected to oil.

Just the thoughts of a dog.

Where's my dish?

[olivia]

It's all about Peak Oil. The CIA published reports about Peak Oil years ago. The neocons are aware of it, ready for it, and they have exploited the road to it.

talkingdog, it is easy to believe they may be stockpiling the black gold offshore for the day when it becomes priceless.