Of course he wants the oil. That's not the question. Everybody wants oil.
What you have to do is prove that there is a direct correlation between getting the oil and starting the war -- that the vote placed before Congress and the misinformation regarding the WMDs was a direct predicate intended to cause a situation in which the oil could be obtained.
There are plenty of other motives beyond just the oil. Cheney's former company Haliburton made out really well in government contracts over the course of the Iraq war. Supplying the army with food for instance. The assertion that he did it for any particular reason can't be proved unless you can read his mind.
What you have to do is prove that there is a direct correlation between getting the oil and starting the war -- that the vote placed before Congress and the misinformation regarding the WMDs was a direct predicate intended to cause a situation in which the oil could be obtained.
I didn't set out to prove it. WIP said it might be the reason we're in that mess. I think it might very well be. It's the only reason that makes sense.
The administration can't prove any of their reasons either, so I choose to believe my reason instead. In that way it's somewhat like religion. No one can prove any of their stories, so you just pick the one you like.
But with the lack of evidence, Joe, the logical solution is not conspiracy. The logical conclusion is incompetence, a trait often demonstrated by government and by the Bush administration in particular. This faction has done nothing to show that is is capable of carrying out such a puppeteer act; in fact, the administration has repeatedly proven to be incapable of such organization and execution.
In short, Iraq was a botched power grab wherein Bush tried to establish a legacy. He wanted his name to be attached to the chapter in the history books that talked about how America stamped out the terrorists. Look at his rhetoric. That's clearly what he wants.
It was the wrong plan at the wrong time with the wrong confluence of public opinions. There is no evidence to show that the primary intent of the war was oil, though it can be deduced that such a "prize" would be beneficial to those in power.
I'm not about to argue that the motivations of the Bush administration were pure -- just that in this case, the Iraq offensive was far short of a criminal master plan.
But with the lack of evidence, Joe, the logical solution is not conspiracy. The logical conclusion is incompetence, a trait often demonstrated by government and by the Bush administration in particular. . . . [T]he Iraq offensive was far short of a criminal master plan.
Yes I know. It's a lot like JFK's assassination in this way: I'd almost rather think of Iraq as a criminal master plan than as sheer stupidity. Both ideas are scary enough to keep a person awake nights, but thinking of it as a plan at least allows one to think of one's government competent, functioning, and unbroken, even if it is evil.
The evil scares me slightly less than the stupidity, somewhat the same way that a vengeful god is slightly less frightening than an uncaring universe.
Well, which is more frightening: Vengeful God or Uncaring Universe?
Many people decide to believe in the Vengeful God; even though in their hearts, they know there's no evidence for Him while there's loads of evidence for the Uncaring Universe. This is largely because they find the fiction of a Vengeful God slightly less frightening than the truth of an Uncaring Universe.
Similarly, while I know that there is abundant evidence to support the position that the government is incompetent and no evidence to support that a far-ranging, highly competent military/industrial/governmental conspiracy exists, I often find myself wanting to believe the fictional conspiracy because it's slightly less frightening than the truth of government incompetence.
Why am I reminded of the scene in the original Batman movie where Batman calls the Pentagon about a recently sold nuclear submarine? In that scene the idiot general tells Batman that they sold the sub to a man named "Pen Gwin"... Then the general says something like, "Did we make a mistake Batman?"
Comments
What you have to do is prove that there is a direct correlation between getting the oil and starting the war -- that the vote placed before Congress and the misinformation regarding the WMDs was a direct predicate intended to cause a situation in which the oil could be obtained.
The administration can't prove any of their reasons either, so I choose to believe my reason instead. In that way it's somewhat like religion. No one can prove any of their stories, so you just pick the one you like.
In short, Iraq was a botched power grab wherein Bush tried to establish a legacy. He wanted his name to be attached to the chapter in the history books that talked about how America stamped out the terrorists. Look at his rhetoric. That's clearly what he wants.
It was the wrong plan at the wrong time with the wrong confluence of public opinions. There is no evidence to show that the primary intent of the war was oil, though it can be deduced that such a "prize" would be beneficial to those in power.
I'm not about to argue that the motivations of the Bush administration were pure -- just that in this case, the Iraq offensive was far short of a criminal master plan.
"Lies are truths told from the other side".
-- Wizard of Oz from Wicked
The evil scares me slightly less than the stupidity, somewhat the same way that a vengeful god is slightly less frightening than an uncaring universe.
Many people decide to believe in the Vengeful God; even though in their hearts, they know there's no evidence for Him while there's loads of evidence for the Uncaring Universe. This is largely because they find the fiction of a Vengeful God slightly less frightening than the truth of an Uncaring Universe.
Similarly, while I know that there is abundant evidence to support the position that the government is incompetent and no evidence to support that a far-ranging, highly competent military/industrial/governmental conspiracy exists, I often find myself wanting to believe the fictional conspiracy because it's slightly less frightening than the truth of government incompetence.