Seen on the news last night that Iraq is having to IMPORT oil?!? Does that not take the cake?
Posted by at December 27, 2005 07:47 AMWell, the best laid plans.....
You know, for thinking they are so smart and the rest of us are such dummies, they sure didn't plan the takeover of Iraq very well, did they?
Posted by Judith at December 27, 2005 08:31 AMMr. Chalabi, also known as Mr. 0.34%, certainly failed a claim to popularity. Should he still end up with a seat regardless, we will know that there was election fraud.
Posted by Alex at December 27, 2005 08:55 AMActually Iraq is not importing oil, it is importing fuel.
Iraq, though sitting on the world’s second largest oil reserves, has turned into a net importer of fuel. The country’s import fuel bill is estimated at more than $100 million a month
Posted by Greg at December 27, 2005 09:02 AMIraNq.
Posted by God Of War at December 27, 2005 09:05 AMNot just Wise Men, Steve; Chalabi's a mathematical genius, too:
I asked [Hitchens] if he thought Chalabi had been passing American intelligence to the Iranians. "No," he insisted. "It's possible that with his training, you know, at [The University of] Chicago that with his own ability he was able to crack the codes. He is a mathematical genius. His expertise is cryptology. It is possible that he broke the codes himself."
Now if only he could count votes...
Posted by dj moonbat at December 27, 2005 09:07 AMWait a second. I was assured by leading liberal bloggers many months ago that it was "not about oil" and that "only yahoos think it's about oil."
You telling me they were wrong?
Posted by slothrop at December 27, 2005 09:14 AMChalabi's alleged code breaking skills were debunked in this post at Talking Points Memo a while back:
Posted by Greg at December 27, 2005 09:22 AMThnks mch fr yr thghts. Hwvr, wnt t ffr cpl tms. Frst, r nvsn t clm rq nd fghnstn l rsrvs ws sccss. Tht's ll r crprt lrds wnt, nd thy wnt mr f th sm: rn. W hv lttl tm t scr rnn l flds s BRC, r th sck mn 'rp, my vrcm dlsnl thnkng.
f y wll, r pltcns mk n dmnds pn thr crprt mstrs. ndd, thr hs bn n ln f dstnctn btwn th tw 'nstttns' fr dcds. Jst s th crprt lrds crrctly vltd cmmnsm thrt t thr frdm t d bsnss s sl ftr WW, thy nw flly ndrstnd tht f thy r t rmn n th fmlr srrndngs f th S f , thy mst scr ll wrld l rsrvs.
Th strngth f th rq grrlls hs prcldd n xtnsn f bltzkrg pn bth rn nd Syr, (Syr hs lttl l, bt ffrs sy ccss t rpn mrkts). Ths hs bn th wknss f r lgrchy: thy fld t mntn 'shck nd w' thrgh rn. Thy fld bcs f bth rrgnc nd gnrnc. rrgnc bcs th cbl lvs dt thrs tht mrrr thr wn stpdty: thy stffd th mltry wth gngstr ldrshp f th lwst rdr f nfntlsm, (rmmbr, sht ds ndd rll dwnhll). gnrnc n tht thy fld t prcv tht thr r prhps mllns f pr Mslms stll n th mddl st. r dts thght ll Mslms wr s ths tht w hv bght: lvrs f grd, cd's, prn, nd mbrcrs f th ntns tht wmn my bndn thr fmls t ntr mrkts f xplttn, tc. ndr th gs f dmcrcy, r ppltn mthd f pcfctn/cntrl s ll w hv t ffr th cmmn mn f shml.
gn, r pln f pllg ctn ws bsd pn l rsrvs, nt 'WMD, trrrsts, dmcrcy, hmn rghts,' blh d nsm. Hw s t tht vryn n th wrld clrly ndrstnds th l rsrv crd, xcpt th vry ns tht hv th mst t gn? Dlsn, nd ths dlsn n bsd pn th tggld 'n' fml psych tht wshs th cllctv cnscsnss f th mddl clss rnd th wrld.
Whr r th tr rsrch psychlgsts? r thy ll n th pmp pyrlls tht w cll r gvrnmnt? Whr r ll th ntllctls? W hd t lst 100 Nm Chmsky's drng th 60's, (tht rblls prd tht st-p th cndtns f dlsnl cntrl tht w s tdy) tht wrt cnstntly n n ttmpt t gd ndrstndng t Trth. Whr r ll th Bbl prphts? t sms t m tht w hd 100 Hrld Cmpngs tryng t gd s t Trth drng th 50‘s nd 60‘s. f w dn't strt sng sm rl ppl stndng, thn ll tht cn ffr s tht w mst crtnly r cls t Jdgmnt Dy, nd, sspct, w wll mst dfntly lrn thng bt tr trrr.
Th crprtns hd xcllnt rsn t cmprhnd th thrt f cmmnsm whn t cm pn th wrld scn drng WW. n dntcl fshn, r crprt lrds, grwng fwr n nmbr, yt mr pwrfl, flly cmprhnd tht f thy wnt t rmn n mltrly pwrfl cntry, lk th gd l S f , dsgnd t prtct thr ntrsts, yt w fl t scr th wrld l rsrvs, thy r gng t b mvng thr hdqrtrs t th cntry tht hs th l. Ths f s lft, f w dn’t lrdy wn th strs nd strps, r t pr t ‘by’ n. Rmmbr th ld ‘Bvrly Hllblls?’ ‘Blck gld.’ mgn brrl f l, n tn yrs, gng fr $500. r crprt gys wll nt py tht prc, bcs thy cntrl th prs. Th rch wll ndd gt rchr, th rst f s wll b tryng t fgr t hw r pr csns srvvd. t wll b t ths pnt n tm tht wht s lft f ‘dmcrtc’ nstttns wll b nmnl nly. Why? gn, t cntrl th wlth. Rlty, tht cntr gnt t dlsn, wll grp th cnscsnss. vryn wll s th plyrs, nmskd. Thy hv th gns, w hv r prn. gss dlsn wll lwys b prsnt, bcs sspct tht w wll stll b dfndng r 'dmcrtc' ds f vmt tht w hv crtd, jst s dg dfnds ts wn vmt t t ltr, (w cn’t tch chldrn Bblcl prncpls, bt w my tch r yng wmn t drss s thr prn str dls nd r bys t sg thr pnts lk thr gngstr dls. W lv dmcrcy...W hv s mny chcs f vl.)
My Gd hv mrcy, s w r cmpltly wthn cldrn f chtc flth nd thr s n mn t hlp s.
Wow, well said scout.
Posted by at December 27, 2005 09:38 AMWait a second. I was assured by leading liberal bloggers many months ago that it was "not about oil" and that "only yahoos think it's about oil."
You telling me they were wrong?
Posted by slothrop at December 27, 2005 09:14 AM
*****
I don't know what the fuck you're smoking, but pretty much anyone with half a cerebral cortex knew that Iraq's massive oilfields were not coincidnetal to our invasion.
Posted by God Of War at December 27, 2005 09:52 AMLooks like Dumbya will be mad at Jeb for not supplying the rigged Florida voting machines in time for Chalabi to win. Another Bu$hCo fuckup.
Posted by Red_Neck_Repub at December 27, 2005 09:57 AMChalabi's alleged code breaking skills were debunked in this post at Talking Points Memo a while back:
Yeah, I kinda knew that already.
Posted by dj moonbat at December 27, 2005 09:58 AMI'll be watching Cheney to see where he goes with this cause he won't let go, he has too many blood promises to keep. Talk about selling your soul to the devil.
Posted by mainsailset at December 27, 2005 10:23 AMSlothrop, perhaps next time you can identify the "leading liberal bloggers" who made such claims.
I think you're confusing them with every single Right wing, conservative-clown blog, all of whom continue to deny the relevance of Iraq's oil reserves to our invasion of it.
And scout, interesting post, but I'm a bit concerned about your underlying emphasis on "chaotic filth" and "evil". That kind of concern takes one into some very bad locales.
Posted by euzoius at December 27, 2005 11:18 AMThat kind of concern takes one into some very bad locales.
Just niggling, euzoius, but I'm not so sure that scout isn't saying something important. The terms used just might resonate with those Red Staters who fall back on their faith that Bu$h is a godly (deliberate lower-case usage) man each time questions about his stewardship rise to the fore of their consciences.
Posted by pessimist at December 27, 2005 12:14 PMFinancial Times is reporting that Chalabi will be made oil ministry. Not that I'm a wise man, but I saw it coming last week when Chalabi refused to sign the letter of protest over the election results.
Ahmed will be wheeling and dealing, trying to ingratiate himself in any way possible with the ruling government whatever form it takes. You have to be an insider in order to steal with impunity.
Um, not so fast. I just stopped by Laura Rosen's joint and she notes the Financial Times is reporting that our dear pal Ahmed may be named head of the Oil Ministry. Since trying to get rid of him is as frustrating as playing whack-a-mole, don't count him out yet. Who knows what kind of back room shenanigans are going on over there right now anyway...
Posted by FuzzFinger at December 27, 2005 02:28 PMFrom the BBC
"Poland postpones Iraq withdrawal
Poland's government says it has taken the "very difficult decision" to extend its military deployment in Iraq until the end of 2006.
The new conservative government's decision reverses the previous leftist administration's plan to pull troops out in early 2006.
Poland, a staunch ally of the US, has about 1,500 troops stationed in Iraq.
It is the fifth biggest foreign contingent in Iraq, after the US, Britain, South Korea and Italy."
Some help is better than no help.
Posted by peter at December 27, 2005 04:50 PMBush supporters get a great deal of satisfaction out of some pretty inconsequential decisions.
I'm sure future histories of the Iraq invasion and occupation will have entire chapters dealing with the decisive turning point in December 2005 when 1,500 Polish troops did not return home, thus defeating the Sunni insurgency.
Good Christ.
Posted by euzoius at December 27, 2005 05:57 PMscout, i caught most of your drift but please explain ... Delusion, and this delusion in based upon the toggled 'on' female psyche that washes the collective consciousness of the middle class around the world.
Posted by mark miller at December 27, 2005 06:14 PMSome help is better than no help.
Nothing like lowering the bar when you don't meet your expectations.
Posted by ann at December 27, 2005 06:29 PMThis, of course, explains why huge tax breaks and "motivations" for investing in refining capacity were given to Big Oil in just the last year. It's all they could do, since their plan in Iraq has been a miserable failure.
Posted by ross at December 27, 2005 06:35 PMTake 1: The day the Poles saved Iraq.
No, it doesn't right.
Take 2: The day the polls saved Iraq.
No, it still doesn't get it.
Take3: The day the poles saved a rock.
Yeah, now you got yer' stoner movie!
Posted by argus at December 27, 2005 06:56 PMYou failed to mention all of the wounded and $ it took. Could the other coalition countries be counting on an eventual oil cut return on a minimal investment?
Posted by TIKI AL at December 27, 2005 07:37 PMFrom the same BBC article -- That 1500 will come down to 900 by March and will be shifted to training Iraqis. From another article, it looks like the cost has been high -- $600 million.
Posted by dorita at December 27, 2005 08:39 PMI'm aware of the news that Chalabi will be made oil minister. But I see now way the FT can make those claims wrt the new government (he was tangentially involved in oil anyway, so the FT claim may just refer to an interim period until the new government is formed). We don't even know what the coalition is going to be, but we know Chalabi will have his finger on the oil pulse?
Not hardly.
I do think it possible he will find a way to slide his way into a position of authority, perhaps even oil minister, once the jockeying is over (although why would Hakim's party give him such a post a mere two months after he left their coalition)?
But I'm also still holding out the possibility that he'll get what the Iraqi people have told him he deserves: zilch, nothing, nada. Because at that point, what would Chalabi do? Stay in Iraq and start a conglomerate of some sort? Go to Iran and try to take that route to power? Or return to the US and chum it up at AEI some more? If he chooses option B or C, it will prove the claims he used to sucker people like Jim Hoagland into their undying support for him ("oh, he's a glorious patriot who just wants to return to the land of his birth!") were utterly false. And it would also make him almost useless for the Neocons. He's resiliant as hell, but I'd love to see how he emerged out of that position.
Posted by emptywheel at December 28, 2005 08:21 AMif he doesnt win a seat how can he become oil minister ? this is a parliementry govt right ?
Posted by polimorf at December 28, 2005 10:29 AMThank you for reminding everyone that this war is about only three things - oil, oil and oil.
Posted by Bob Rogers at December 28, 2005 02:44 PM