ah, NOW we get to some nitty gritty

one of THE main reasons king george and his court invaded iraq. no, it wasn't because they were responsible for 9-11. no it wasn't because they were threatening us. no, it wasn't because they had wmd. if you think it was ANYTHING other than black gold (at the number one position) you are sadly mistaken

how DARE we dictate who gets what, when and where to another country
Missteps and Mistrust Mark the Push for Legislation


By Joshua PartlowWashington Post Foreign Service
IRBIL, Iraq -- Two weeks after the United States launched an ambitious security plan for Iraq, then-U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad issued an enthusiastic announcement about progress toward an Iraqi oil law, a key American goal.
"This is a significant political achievement," the Feb. 27 statement began. "Under the approved law, oil will become a tool that will help unify Iraq and give all Iraqis a shared stake in their country's future."
But Iraq's oil law was far from approved. And as negotiations dragged on during the spring and summer, the inability to devise a means to divide the spoils of the world's third-largest oil reserves had instead torn Iraqis further apart. Khalilzad's hands-on efforts for the law are now seen by many Iraqis as inspiring a swell of Arab nationalist opposition and as one of many stumbles on the legislation's dismal journey.
"This was a very bad move by the Americans to push for this law," said Issam al-Chalabi, a former oil minister. "Now it looks like . . . the Americans are after oil -- they will bring their Exxons and Chevrons and they will control our oil again."...........

hmmmmmmmmmmmm

very interesting indeed!

Va. Paper Gets Scoop on Iraqi V.P. Who Hid Details of Bodyguard's Death

NEW YORK Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi tried to hide details of the shooting death of one of his personal bodyguards, including information about the U.S.-based private security contractor suspected in the incident, according to records obtained by a newspaper.Abdul-Mahdi assured then-U.S. ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad that "he had tried to keep the issue from the public eye and had not disclosed to the press the nationality of the suspect," according to a Jan. 8 memo sent by the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad to U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.The memo was obtained by The Virginian-Pilot newspaper through a Freedom of Information Act request.No one has been charged in the Christmas Eve shooting of Abdul-Mahdi's bodyguard. The State Department has said a private contractor shot and killed the officer, while North Carolina-based Blackwater USA has said one of its employees was involved in the incident.According to the memo, Khalilzad told Abdul-Mahdi, one of Iraq's two vice presidents, the embassy was working with Blackwater to "achieve an adequate offer of compensation."...........