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Originally Posted by excon

Hello Steve:

"If Zarqawi and bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks; they'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions; they could recruit more terrorists by claiming an historic victory over the United States and our coalition."

I dunno. Sounds to me like he's saying we better grab it first, and they made us do it.

Yeah, I've heard that kind of spin before. Bwa, ha ha ha.

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Did you know that Norwegian oil producer DNO was the first foreign company to drill for and produce oil in post-war Iraq, that Switzerland’s Addax Petroleum and Turkey’s Genel Enerji were next? And, as far as I know there is only one US firm operating in Iraq, Hunt Oil, which began operating there in September.

There have been roughly 461 oilfield-related attacks in Iraq since the invasion, is there any justification for concern over Iraq's oil - now or then?

Just curious.

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Originally Posted by speechlesstx

There have been roughly 461 oilfield-related attacks in Iraq since the invasion, is there any justification for concern over Iraq's oil - now or then?

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Hello Steve:

Saddam wasn't about to surrender his oil fields to Ben Laden or ANY terrorist. So, it wasn't a concern then, no. However, once we toppled him, of course.

But, I thought we were talking about why we went in.

excon

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Are you suggesting that we should not have gotten into Afghanistan ?

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Hello again, tom:

You know I support that war. Or at least I did before we let that bastard get away. Instead, we got distracted in a war of choice. Now, we're kind of just diddling in Afghanistan. We're not winning, and we're not losing. But, that in and of itself, is losing.

excon

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Originally Posted by tomder55

Let's say we were to go ahead with the Democrats idea of moving 150,000 troops from Iraq to fight in Afghanistan . Then we lose Pakistan's cooperation in the effort .

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It’s an idiotic idea; mind giving me the source?

I have been quoting Barak Obama who also seems to be most anxious to get us involved in an escalation into Pakistan . Besides the policy speech I have already quoted . He has also said in a speech to Chicago Council on Global Affairs :

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Perhaps most importantly, some of these troops could be redeployed to Afghanistan, where our lack of focus and commitment of resources has led to an increasing deterioration of the security situation there.

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I should've been more specific. To most of the rest of the Democrats redeploy means retreat.

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Originally Posted by tomder55

I have been quoting Barak Obama who also seems to be most anxious to get us involved in an escalation into Pakistan . Besides the policy speech I have already quoted . He has also said in a speech to Chicago Council on Global Affairs :


I should've been more specific. To most of the rest of the Democrats redeploy means retreat.

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Him having anything to do with foreign policy, from that, would be disastrous then. I believe the Bush administration is doing exactly what it should be doing in the way of intervention. I do agree that at the current rate, we shall fail in Afghanistan.

“KABUL The top U.S. general in Afghanistan said yesterday he estimated that Afghanistan’s rampant opium poppy cultivation was funding up to 40 percent of the Taliban-led insurgency.
Gen. Dan McNeill, head of the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force, added he had been told by an international specialist that his figure was likely low and could reach up to 60 percent.
The cultivation of opium, 93 percent of whose world supply comes from Afghanistan, according to the United Nations is undermining everything the government and its international allies were trying to do, he said. Afghanistan’s opium production grew by 34 percent this year, according to a U.N. survey.
Washington Times
October 19, 2007
Pg. 15

“There are many indicators that the Afghan campaign is at this date a complete failure; how much has anything changed from when “The Perfect Evil” was published nearly a year ago? At the time of its publication, I intended it as a warning that action needed to be taken, and fast, before the momentum of decline reached avalanche velocity.
The war is finally turning a positive corner here in Iraq. If Iraq continues to progress so rapidly, I will leave here in 2008, with plans to go to Afghanistan.”

Michael Yon : Online Magazine » Blog Archive » The Perfect Evil: Coming to Roost

Of course the answer to the poppy crop issue is for us to offer a better price for it to the farmers under the condition that they torch their crop under our supervision. Why not ? We pay our own farmers not to grow stuff. Also Yon neglects to report that much of the Taliban is being taken over by foreign jihadists . We are likely to see a repeat of Anbar province when the locals get tired of getting bullied by them.

I look forward to Yon's reporting wherever he is embedded.