Will Kerry or any Dems name OIL as central reason for Iraq War?

[yurbud]

Greg Palast of the BBC has done a great job of collecting the documentation of this: the Bushies planned to privatize and sell off the oil rights in Iraq, and General Garner, our first colonial governor over there, is on video saying he was fired for disapproving of this because he thought it would inflame the resistance.

If Democrats don't mention the oil motive, either they are the worst sort of cowards, or they agree with the Bush goal of grabbing Iraq's oil for American oil companies and being in a position to intimidate and invade other oil producing countries.

This isn't just an academic issue. If this doesn't move to the top of the anti-war talking points, not only won't we be able to get out of Iraq, but the Bushies can also do the same terrorist and WMD shuck and jive to attack Iran and Venezuela. The fact that it is logistically insane won't stop them.

If we don't talk about oil, we can't stop this war OR THE NEXT ONES.

[Zinfandel]

1. Why rock the boat? The Democrats are making a fine living and

life is good, money is flowing into their pockets...why risk losing all of that? For us?

[yurbud]

3. sad but true--I hope you are wrong though

[yurbud]

2. Kerry touched on it--needs to move it up in speeches

The additional step Kerry needed to say "we can't drill and invade our way to energy independence," not just "drill."

Connect the fucking dots!

http://www.johnkerry.com/pressroom/speeches/spc_2005_09_19.html

September 19, 2005

Senator John Kerry's Speech at Brown University

...Over the next weeks I will address some of these choices in detail - choices about national security, the war in Iraq, making our nation more competitive and committing to energy independence. But it boils down to this. I still believe America’s destiny is to become a living testament to what free human beings can accomplish by acting in unity. That’s easy to dismiss by those who seem to have forgotten we can do more together than just waging war.

But for those who still believe in the great tradition of Americans doing great things together, it’s time we started acting like it. We can never compete with the go-it- alone crowd in appeals to selfishness. We can’t afford to be pale imitations of the other side in playing the ‘what’s in it for me’ game. Instead, it’s time we put our appeals where our hearts are - asking the American people to make our country as strong, prosperous, and big-hearted as we know we can be - every day. It’s time we framed every question - every issue -- not in terms of what’s in it for ‘me,’ but what’s in it for all of us?

And when you ask that simple question - what’s in it for all of us? - the direction not taken in America could not be more clear or compelling.

Instead of allowing a few oil companies to drill their way to windfall profits, it means an America that understands we can’t drill our way to energy independence, we have to invent our way there together.

[emulatorloo]

4. March '04 - "our young men and women will never have to fight and die for

foreign oil"

I remember hearing Kerry say this -- unfortunately all I can find right now is a NEWSMAX link:

<snip>

"Instead of secret energy meetings and drilling in the Alaskan wilderness, we're going to have a real energy plan for America," Kerry said. "Under my plan, America will be energy independent from Mideast oil in 10 years, the fuels of the future will be less expensive, cleaner, and our young men and women will never have to fight and die for foreign oil."

<snip>

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2004/3/30/102502.shtml

[yurbud]

6. Kerry's problem is he can't get to the FUCKING POINT!

Don't bury it in the middle, near the bottom, after you've doled out a couple of dumptrucks of empty platitudes.

Say it right out of the gate and six different ways throughout the speech.

If he had made this point forcefully in the debates, it would have been game, set, match. He said some ok things then, but his presentation was deferential and polite to the point of being effeminate, which isn't going to win over any rednecks (or greynecks, whatever you call undecideds).

[sandnsea]

5. Troops protecting oil and oil pipelines

He's referred to that in a few speeches.

Seems like I recall him saying we don't need to send any more of our young men and women to die for foreign oil. If that isn't calling oil the reason for the Iraq War, I don't know what is.

He's the ONLY Dem I've heard be straight-forward on our military and oil.

[yurbud]

7. Needs to say it up front as stated topic of speech

as I said in the post above,he tends to bury his best points in the bottom of the speech.

That's the strongest thing he could say and he needs to say it first, last, and six different ways to sunday.