NEWS: "Massive Corruption" in Iraqi Oil Biz

POLITICS: "Massive Corruption" in Iraqi Oil Biz

Remember the neoconservative promises about the war in Iraq? Thriving democracy spreading throughout the region, swift justice to the war criminals, roses at the feet of our soldiers tossed by Iraqis grateful for their liberation, and of course, plentiful and cheap oil that would pay for the war on its own. Anyone foolish enough to take politicians' claims at face value when they were trying to sell a war on dubious footing deserves to pay the arm and a leg (by comparison, still cheap by EU standards) they're now suffering at the gas pumps, but what about the rest of us who were reluctantly dragged along for the ride? Will the promise of US earnings from Iraqi oil save us all in the long term? It's not looking good right now, according to a GAO report on the subject, the Iraqi oil industry is run by a "bloated bureaucracy" full of "ghost employees."

The amount of graft going on in the industry isn't really all that surprising. The best way to curb that sort of thing is with government oversight keeping tabs on what people are up to, and a strong and effective judicial system functioning as a deterrent to any would-be thieves and embezzlers. The justice system in Iraq is currently a mess, and the government is just now starting to get their shit together by finally forming at least a semi-functional government. Purple thumbs don't make the trains run on time, it takes an established bureaucracy of effective civil servants to allow a government to function properly, and Iraq just isn't there yet. If they can avoid a civil war they might get there, but based on the current situation in both the government and the oil industry, I'd say having the war pay for itself with oil earnings is probably quite a ways off.

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

hopefully we learn from mistakes like this if we ever take over iran and syria. oh, who am i kidding?

we dont take over.... we "Liberate"...... but give it enough time... we'll "liberate" enough countries that it wont matter what it's called, as the countries to object will already be under our thumb...

How democratic -- everyone gets their share of the gasoline, by any means possible.....

How much is Cheney's cut?

Well, hmn, after the first nuke hits Israel, the ensuing radioactive fall-off will make producing oil in the Mid-East completely impossible in any event. At that point psycho nationalism will take hold and overnight America will devolve into a complete military lockdown with our own troops in our own streets. And don't think there's not contingency plans for that...

Get yer suicide pills ready folks!

But in the meantime: SG - yeah!

no no... it came as promised... we were Awed by gas prices and Shocked as they rammed the pump straight up our ass (right after the big SUV boom - take THAT soccer mom, that's what you get for choosing a panzer over a station wagon.)

You mean about the time the first nuke leaves Israel...

But seriously. Scary scenario, and very possible; people are kidding themselves if they don't think the gov't has plans for this. Consider what's at stake for them, and then you see why they'd want to preserve the system by any means necessary.

I don't know what I'd do, but it certainly involves getting the hell out of Atlanta, quick.

+1

Corruption? The President? Oil?!

Who would have guessed!?

That's why there are lists of everyone who voted Republican (even the dead people in Ohio and Florida) in the last election locked up in the basement of the CIA offices.

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no conservatives in this thread?

Nope TheTotalM is to busy crying in Bush isn't so bad thread.