Abizaid "we've treated the arab world as a colllection of big gas stations"

[illinoisprogressive]

During a round table discussion on “the Fight for Oil, Water and a Healthy Planet” at Stanford University on Saturday, Gen. John Abizaid (Ret.), the former CENTCOM Commander, said that “of course” the Iraq war is “about oil“:

“Of course it’s about oil, we can’t really deny that,” Abizaid said of the Iraq campaign early on in the talk.

“We’ve treated the Arab world as a collection of big gas stations,” the retired general said. “Our message to them is: Guys, keep your pumps open, prices low, be nice to the Israelis and you can do whatever you want out back. Osama and 9/11 is the distilled essence that represents everything going on out back.”

Abizaid has previously argued that the U.S. would need “to keep a long-term military presence in Iraq” in order to protect “the free flow of goods and resources” such as oil, but his Stanford comments go much further in pinning oil as a prime motivator for the war.

The Bush administration, however, still denies any connection between the war in Iraq and America’s geopolitical interest in Middle East oil. Just last month, after former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan wrote that “the Iraq War is largely about oil,” Defense Secretary Robert Gates rejected the notion, saying “I just don’t believe it’s true“:

“I wasn’t here for the decision-making process that initiated it, that started the war,” Gates said. But he added, “I know the same allegation was made about the Gulf War in 1991, and I just don’t believe it’s true.”

“I think that it’s really about stability in the Gulf. It’s about rogue regimes trying to develop weapons of mass destruction. It’s about aggressive dictators,” Gates said.

Though Abizaid says that Bush’s Iraq policy seeks to keep oil “prices low,” the per-barrel cost of oil has risen dramatically since the U.S. first invaded. In March 2003, the price of oil was roughly US$35 a barrel. Today, prices reached “above $85 a barrel for the first time.”

http://thinkprogress.org/2007/10/15/abizaid-middle-east-gas-station/

[Rex]

1. It is about making money.

Simple as that.

[Swamp Rat]

3. Oh, I think there's a contingent out there who loves to rape, torture, and murder,

and will find any excuse to do it.

[Rex]

5. Can't just sit at home and hate at the wall.

It takes money for that group to make people believe in their hate. Ya know, the difference between OBF and OBL? Falwell went first.

[Swamp Rat]

7. Yeah, they're businessmen at heart

I doubt they believe in the crap they sell to their flocks of sheep. Nevertheless, they recruit through messages of hate couched in religion, and the promise that one day all of them will be able to legally commit mass murder in the name of their god.

[Rex]

8. We live in the Age of Insanity my friend.

[Swamp Rat]

10. LOL!!! I see your Jesus Rambo and raise you an Xtreme Jesus!

... by Mo Paul, even! :D

[hatrack]

2. Insert Gomer Pyle voice:

"Suh-PRAHZ, suh-PRAHZ, suh-PRAHZ!!!!!!!!!!!"

[illinoisprogressive]

4. I just find it something that all these generals are coming out 4 years after!

[BleedingHeartPatriot]

6. What a d***head. When he was running things, it was all about "fill in the blank".

WMD's? Terrorists? Spreading Democracy?

:mad: MKJ

[Rosa Luxemburg]

9. Funny how these generals pluck up courage to speak out

after they have retired?

Reagan used the middle east as one big gas station.

[w4rma]

11. Its because they are retired for going against the neocons while in power or wanted to retire to be

able to speak out without strings attached. They probably thought they'd get some air time, being former highest ranking officers in the Iraq War, but alas anyone who goes against the neo-cons/neo-liberals get only token air-time.

[reinhardt]

12. They are advertising a reason for a draft n/t

[reinhardt]

13. robertpaul... do you remember waleska? n/t