Ask your senator & rep: whose side you on--OIL companies or American and Iraqis democratic will?

The one point of the Iraq Study Group that presented NO departure from what Bush is doing is pushing for the privatization and opening of Iraq's oil for foreign investment. As Tom Hayden pointed out, the ISG included representatives from the oil industry, Bechtel, Wall Street, and even the right wing think tanks that pushed for the war in the first place.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=103&topic_id=250909&mesg_id=250909

Likewise, a handful of reporters and strategic thinkers have made it clear that the issue is not ACCESS to the oil. We use 25% of the world's supply. If someone cut us off, that's a lot of customers to lose. And of course, we don't have to invade Japan to get Playstations & Toyotas, Germany to get BMWs, and Indonesia to get Nikes.


The issue is really who profits from pumping that oil, American corporations, or someone else? You might be tempted out of patriotism to prefer the American companies to French, Russian and others, but ask yourself what have these companies done for us? They gouge us at the pump at every turn, demand subsidies and tax breaks while using our military to protect their investments in the Gulf, and smother any technology that might compete with theirs. Greg Palast found an even more disturbing angle. Oil execs told him they were concerned Saddam would ramp up production when sanctions came off and drive prices DOWN. One of the DSM seemed to confirm this when Bush sent assurances to Putin that a successful invasion of Iraq would NOT result in higher production and lower oil prices.

http://professorsmartass.blogspot.com/2006/04/new-dsm-bush-told-putin-iraq-war.html

So we are spending our tax dollars, reputation in the world, and troops lives so we can pay MORE at the pump.

A solid majority of Americans want us to leave Iraq, and an overwhelming majority of Iraqis have wanted us to leave in every single poll taken over there. A British Ministry of Defense poll of Iraqis found that only 1% felt safer because we are there.

http://whatiraqiswant.blogspot.com

There is enough evidence on the table to finally ask your congressman, Nancy Pelosi, and your senators:

Whose side are you on?

1. oil companies
   
   
2. Americans and Iraqis
   
   

Unfortunately, I already know the answer for most (nearly all republicans and a good chunk of Democrats). Grover Norquist has political tourette's syndrome and can't help but proudly tell the ugly truth when asked directly. He said this about the conflict between privatization and democracy in Iraq:




After the last six years, the burden is on our elected officials to prove that they do not agree with him.