It's about time the US government comes clean regarding at least "one of its reasons" for being in Iraq. It's the oil, stupid!

Sent by Vaibhav Parekh, MD | 11:15 AM ET | 07-05-2007

This man needs to retire from public service to spend more "time with his family" as countless Bush officials have done.

Sent by osisbs | 1:05 PM ET | 07-05-2007

There is little doubt that oil has been one of the key factors driving U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East for the last several decades.

Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, Paul Wolfowitz famously said: "Let's look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil."

However, governments are not unitary agents. They consist in a number of individuals, often with different motives which may converge on the same policy and this more complicated picture better describes the misbegotten actions of the Bush administration. Some of the neoconservatives, as naive as they are, really appear to believe that they can bring democracy to the Middle East.

Other members of the administration did view Saddam as a threat to U.S. security and the region, though they were clearly wrong in so thinking. Without the attacks of September 11 it is doubtful that Iraq would have been invaded. And yes, oil was also part of it, just not the whole of it.

Sent by Michael Hollifield | 1:12 PM ET | 07-05-2007

My Point exactly, that's why I've been against the war from the beginning, whoever believed the BS, Oh, yea the whole united states.

Sent by Woodel | 2:16 PM ET | 07-05-2007

That's what happens when someone from the establishment at first denies an obvious truth, then finally admits it. Two groups of people are guaranteed to call you a flip-flopper: political opponents and those who want to keep the mass deception going. Nice to see America isn't the only country where so-called patriots punish those who dare to speak the truth with that epithet. So, REAL Americans, when you get into your monster truck, gas-guzzling SUV or minivan, just repeat the mantras "patriots never flip flop" and "liberals and Islamo-fascists are the enemy" and you won't have to make any connection between what you're driving and where people are dying. Have a nice day.

Sent by John R. Otten | 7:55 PM ET | 07-06-2007

if you control the oil you control the world

Sent by PATRICK | 9:01 PM ET | 07-06-2007

i dad its asma.i just want to tell to thanks the that we are not in iraq.i feels so sory for the good kids and the good people that are in iraq.thaks god that not us thak you so much god

Sent by Asma Durrani | 9:35 PM ET | 07-06-2007

Why the surprise? Oil and Oil had always been the reason. In a way Nelson has more integrity and honesty than John Howard. This is just a modern case of " the king's new clothes". Oil was the reason and all the others such as WMD, democracy, war against terror are just plain and tired excuses. There was no WMD. US, Australia ( and EU as well for that matter), are not the firm believing in democracy as they claim to be, just look at the two examples of Palestine and Burma. If democracy is so important, why are the democratically elect Hamas and Burmese "Opposition" not supported? Instead, all these democracy " torch bearers" rush to the other side. As for the "war on terror", the West had rushed headlong into suspending the human and civil rights of their own citizens as well as everyone else. Just look at the so called renditions and the Guantanamo Bay. This whole sad saga reminds me of the story of The Animal Farm, and its ending sentence.

Sent by tony Chui | 10:15 PM ET | 07-06-2007

Oil is not the key. Fresh WATER is the key to control.

Sent by Margaret H. | 10:18 AM ET | 07-07-2007

I cannot remember the last time we "gave" democracy to anyone. We (our Government) have commited atrocities in other countries for a very long time, and the citizens of those countries (eg. Chile, Iran [in the 50s], Nicaragua, Guatemala, Honduras, Greece, Cuba, Dominican Rep., and I could go on for quite some time)all remember how we install right wing fascists dictators, nullify elections and systematically extract resources from these countries. OIL is just one resource we have exploited in this manner.
In time what we see is "blow back", the result of rage from citizens of these countries after years of one sided aggresion from our country. What is worse is that the vast majority of my fellow citizens would readily deny this fact and call me God knows what, instead of researching the facts of what I and many others have realized for a very long time. Just ask yourself some fundamental questions like: Why is it that the only allies we have in the middle east are monarchs and dictators (with the exception of Israel)? Why did we "liberate" Kuwait to "REINSTALL" a Monarchy? (and many other questions)
I believe we must realistically ask some fundamental questions of ourselves, our government and the entanglements we have allowed to ensue. Let us remember that in a democracy all of us are responsible for what we the people do.

Sent by William G | 9:51 PM ET | 07-07-2007

In the early days of the Bush team Cheney meet with oil executives to create an energy policy. In those meetings they took maps of the Iraq oil fields and divided them up as to companies and such. Then comes 9/11 and Cheney with his man-child president had the excuse they need to take over Iraq and gain control of the oil there.

The Downing Street memos and many other sources now confirm they twisted intelligence and other facts to get their littl war.

There is not one reason for this war stated by Bush, Cheney or the other neo-cons that holds any truth.

Sent by Randy T of Denton, TX | 1:47 AM ET | 07-09-2007