Iraqi forces battle militants for control of oil refineries

The war and political elite in the US, UK and all those who backed the illegal 2003 invasion and occupation (such as Japan's government) must now be looking back on the stability of saddam hussein's rule with nostalgia. Colin Powell said "if you break it you own it," but those responsible seem little inclined to man up.

Giants of the fossil fuel industry now have their guaranteed access to Iraq's oil, but it means nothing if it can't be shipped.

On the other hand, the weapons industry now has another active market to flood with it's death products, which suggests that Powell got it wrong--if you break it, you can still make a good profit, especially when you don't have to bear the real costs.

The war and political elite in the US, UK and all those who backed the illegal 2003 invasion and occupation (such as Japan's government) must now be looking back on the stability of saddam hussein's rule with nostalgia. Colin Powell said "if you break it you own it," but those responsible seem little inclined to man up.

I doubt that, getting rid of that tyrant was the absolute best thing. Good riddance I say, but if you want to make that argument about Bush, then you should equally make the argument that Obama botched the whole thing by cutting and running and allowing the militants to gain ground without opposing them or engaging the enemy in any way, now that a vacuum has created, he opened up Pandora's box and probably like Bush said and warned, if we leave to early that this wound might fester and Al Qaeda will gain strength and a much hard force to deal with in the future and that was 2007 and he was right.

When will the Bush bashing stop? Right or wrong he did what he was right with intelligence advising to do so. We do know 11 years ago Saddam had the iron grip. We do not know what Iraq would be today. Saddam would be 75 years old today. Would be alive? Would his successor be just as evil or more? Would the Arab Spring have touched Iraq? One can only believe Iraq was a mess in 2002 and Iraq was a mess in 2012 and today is total chaos.

It's utterly depressing to see how some Americans are so thoroughly indoctrinated by the lies and spurious justifications for war spread by their own government that they refuse to accept the sad truth about what their country did to Iraq, You can stand on their toes and screams at the top of your lungs, and they still won't budge. Wonder what Eric Hoffer ("The True Believer") would have had to say about this phenomenon.

Right or wrong he did what he was right with intelligence advising to do so.

This is simply not true. There was plenty of doubt within the intelligence community as to Saddam's possessing anything near nuclear capability. Bush was a guy who didn't want to hear facts if they didn't mesh with his preconceived notions.

Case in point, and remember this name: Lawrence B. Lindsey. He was Bush's first economic adviser. When Bush asked him for a cost estimate for an invasion and occupation of Iraq, Lindsey came back with an estimate of between $100 and $200 billion. (The economist Joseph Stiglitz estimated it would cost over a trillion)

Bush thought $100B~$200B was WAY too high so he fired Lindsey. Arrogant AND ignorant -- the most lethal combination in a leader -- Bush didn't want to hear those numbers. We all know the eventual cost of Iraq has reached just under a trillion dollars, and still counting. Slightly off from the $50~$60 billion that Bush tried to sell the American public.

When will the Bush bashing stop? There is no way he can be bashed enough.

What proof exists Iraq would be stable today? Yes, Bush invaded Iraq. Fact. Another fact is Hillary, Kerry, and numerous others supported this in 2002.

Another fact, Saddam Hussein was a brutal dictator. Is the world better w/o him? I think so. To parallel this to Kim Jong Un, Many on this board want him removed. He is a brutal evil dictator. What if his successor were to be worse? What if China decided to step into control? What if a reunified Korea became entrenched into a deadly civil war?

If only we had a Chrystal Ball!

Easy to spot the guilty parties - the ones now wailing about how bush is still being blamed for Iraq. Bush, the guy who ignored the reports coming out of Iraq from the team searching for America's WMD/gas that they couldn't find it, and who ignored the worldwide protests (remember them?) and invaded anyway to create the biggest foreign policy screw up on US history. 

Often these people are the same ones who are also trashing Obama's foreign policy. (hypocrisy, anyone?)

The Neocons and their conservative supporters totally own this.

Don't blame the Dems. They only voted based on the info coming out of the DoD after being filtered by the bush govt.

Why The Middle East Is Now A Giant Warzone, In One Terrifying Chart

http://thinkprogress.org/world/2014/06/12/3447800/iraq-syria-chart/

From the very beginning, this is one of my reasoning why I was against the Iraq war. Yanks need to stay out of the Civil Wars that will never end. Let them work (kill?) for the solutions and going back to the Stone Age. Over 5000 American soldiers were killed in Iraq. What did we accomplish? NOTHING.

We still need to send some US special forces and drones to protect all Americans until they come home safely.

Obama has a hard job to do and I would not want his job.

It was about one month after 9/11 and I was tutoring a student for an American history class in college when I told her that Bush will be attacking Iraq. She seemed confused because she knew Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11 according to the latest news. That’s when I told her that Bush attacking Iraq has nothing to do with 9/11. It’s just a game to these people and oil is the prize. Anyone who still believes the story of terrorist flying planes into the twin towers has never seen the video footage of building 7 going straight down. Time to wake up! We Americans could have stayed 100 years and the same thing would still happen in Iraq. It was a “big lie” and my fellow Americans ate it up like candy. It’s really very saddening for me to see all the death and hate my country has done to the world.

Case in point, and remember this name: Lawrence B. Lindsey. He was Bush's first economic adviser. When Bush asked him for a cost estimate for an invasion and occupation of Iraq, Lindsey came back with an estimate of between $100 and $200 billion. (The economist Joseph Stiglitz estimated it would cost over a trillion)

So far, 6 trillion and more.

Great job Bush, WMD's galore! Mission accomplished!!!

MarkGJun. 19, 2014 - 11:24AM JST

Yes, Bush invaded Iraq. Fact. Another fact is Hillary, Kerry, and numerous others supported this in 2002.

Hillary has been outspoken many times in public as saying "if I had known what I know now, I definitely opposed it". The truth is that Bush and CIA did not have a good grip on the situation or lied.

@Sushi

Easy to spot the guilty parties - the ones now wailing about how bush is still being blamed for Iraq. Bush, the guy who ignored the reports coming out of Iraq from the team searching for America's WMD/gas that they couldn't find it, and who ignored the worldwide protests (remember them?) and invaded anyway to create the biggest foreign policy screw up on US history.

And here we go once again with the Bush syndrome blame game, how many of you libs know how to best pacify the situation in Iraq since OBAMA IS the PRESIDENT and the president that wanted to take the applause for ending the Iraq war (when Bush was already slowly bringing it to a close, the surge worked and for awhile there wasn't that much going on in Iraq) and yet, things fall apart, NOT my fault! The economy, Obamacare, IRS, Benghazi, Fast and furious, the open borders, the flood of illegals, Syria, Iran, Russia, China, the VA scandal, Afghanistan, please tell me when I can stop!! Is there ANYTHING that you can fault this president on? Obama is just responsible for nothing right, he IS after all the anointed one, blemish free, free from all sins and falter, we mere mortals should stand back and gaze in awe and amazement of his holiness! You guys just suck up the Kool-aid. Obama is in charge now, blaming Bush will do no one good, it's over Obama is president as he was always reminding Republicans, well that is true, so Mr. President, you own it, so what are you going to do about the insurgency and how do you want to curtail, stop or slow down the progress of ISIS and hiding on the Golf course and ignoring reporters is NOT going to cut it!

Often these people are the same ones who are also trashing Obama's foreign policy. (hypocrisy, anyone?)

Yea, we are seeing his foreign policy unfold before our very eyes! Thanks a lot!

The Neocons and their conservative supporters totally own this.

Not after 2008, the country went under New management.

Don't blame the Dems.

Of course you should, to be honest, both parties are to blame! Bush should have had better vision and better knowledge before going in and Obama for going out. Bottom line!

They only voted based on the info coming out of the DoD after being filtered by the bush govt.

Add to that the other countries that were equally involved and had their hand in the sticky pie. Obviously, you know absolutely nothing about intelligence. Often Intel can be faulty, it is always hit or miss, there is no such thing as every intel you get will always be sound. Everyone wishes that, but you go with the best lead possible, it was the same with finding OBL, it wasn't 100% that he was in that compound, but there was a small chance that he might not have been there and imagine if wouldn't have been there? But you guys would have blamed Bush for that as well. If you don't take a hunch sometimes, then NO country should or can have an intel business.

@oldman

Great job Bush, WMD's galore! Mission accomplished!!!

And great, great job to Obama that reinvented, invigorate and revitalized Al Qaeda and ISIS and the new emergence of a caliphate. Cutting and running just gave the enemy new hope!

My god Bass that was one hellava rant. Obama gets no free pass from me but I'd bet if they discovered oil in the Arctic I wouldn't wanna be penguin right now. I can understand your ranting but the picture is much bigger IMO. Why were we there in the first place? Should be the topic.

Seems like just another day in the Middle East. The only reason why this story gets so much press is because white people thousands of miles away can point their fingers at each other. Take that away, and this story would be like the daily killings in Africa.

bass4funkJun. 19, 2014 - 02:43PM JST

I hope someday you will be able to see the Forest instead of a Pine Tree in geopolitics. Your rant gets pretty old and not really intellectually appealing without objectivity. Are you a problem solver in issues? What is your opinion? What would you do if you were a Commander in Chief?

I hope someday you will be able to see the Forest instead of a Pine Tree in geopolitics.

I was in Iraq before for 2 months covering the war around when it started, so yes, I saw the entire forest, it was bad then, but compared to now....

Your rant gets pretty old and not really intellectually appealing without objectivity.

Why? Because I don't slander Bush enough? That's history, move on bashing him won't solve anything, were he in this situation now, then is would excoriate him, but he's NOT the president now, is he? But Obama is, his policies, orders, his so called great (ahem) foreign policy is really working. So please forgive me, for criticizing the anointed one.

Are you a problem solver in issues? What is your opinion? What would you do if you were a Commander in Chief?

I'm not paid to be a problem solver, that's the presidents job and from the history of it, he's totally inept. But one thing I wouldn't do is sacrifice my relationship with the one man that is a buffer between me and the Mullahs, I would leave the emotion aside and do what's ultimately right for the long term security of our country, because it wouldn't want another 9/11 down the line, if I can severely minimize the threat. I would have finished the job of ensuring a proper SOFA agreement, come to a middle ground, gave the police force and the military better training, I would have never fired Stanley McChrystal a big giant No, No. I'm NOT making ANY illusions that Iraq can be saved, most like probably NOT, but I would try, I wouldn't be playing golf now, that's for sure.

Beiji refinery accounts for a little more than a quarter of the country’s entire refining capacity — all of which goes toward domestic consumption for things like gasoline, cooking oil and fuel for power stations.

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What kind of Cooking Oil was produce from Oil Refinery in Iraq?

Kobuta Chan

What kind of Cooking Oil was produce from Oil Refinery in Iraq?

Thanks. Yes, I have noticed it. hmmm... hope we are not using this cooking oil for tempura. OMG