Follow the Oil

What will Dubya say now? After spending the better part of the last year charging everyone and their uncle with undermining Iraqi trade sanctions, a highly embarrassing report was just released. It turns out (surprise, surprise) that the one nation that seemed to skirt the oil sales sanctions the most turns out to be...the good 'ol US of A!

As reported in the UK Guardian,

The United States administration turned a blind eye to extensive sanctions-busting in the prewar sale of Iraqi oil, according to a new Senate investigation...

In fact, the Senate report found that US oil purchases accounted for 52% of the kickbacks paid to the regime in return for sales of cheap oil - more than the rest of the world put together.

"The United States was not only aware of Iraqi oil sales which violated UN sanctions and provided the bulk of the illicit money Saddam Hussein obtained from circumventing UN sanctions," the report said. "On occasion, the United States actually facilitated the illicit oil sales.

So much for the higher moral ground!

What does this tell us? When it comes to the almighty dollar, Dubya's supposed Christian morality flies straight out the nearest window. Far worse, wasn't it Dubya who crowed if you're not with us, you're against us?

Well, now that it's been shown that several major US corporations were giving kickbacks to Mr. Hussein, the sworn enemy of democracy and freedom, do you think the Shrub will go public and denounce them as the financial backers of despots and terrorists? Say nasty things about his biggest supporters?

Hardly.