It’s The Oil Stupid

Remember how the Democrats use to insist that Bush went to war for oil.   
Why are they not questioning if “Mr. Hope and change” has gone to war for oil.  BP has a 900 million dollar Libyan oil deal, which Prime Minister Cameron endangered when he quickly came to the aid of the Libyan rebels who appeared to be headed for victory, only to quickly collapse when Gaddafi pushed back.

Back when Qaddafi was securely in power, BP lobbied to free the Lockerbie bomber to avoid Qaddafi’s threat to cut all commercial ties with the UK.  Now the only thing that will save BP is a good old fashioned war.  Qaddafi had already called on Russian and Chinese oil companies to replace Western oil companies.  Not to be left out, the Libya rebels quickly created their own oil company reminding everyone of what this is really about.

I’ve heard all the other, more noble arguments. Yes. It is true that Qaddafi is a dictator, that’s nothing new. Yes, he supported terrorism against the U.S. and France, again nothing new. Yes, he was responsible for the tragedy of PanAm 103.  Yes, he funded, armed and trained radicals in many African countries such as in Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Haute Volta, and in a few Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon. We all are aware that his regime oppressed his people and tortured and jailed his opponents for four decades.

 But, it is also true that he ruled Libya unchecked during and after the Cold War, before and after 9/11, and he was received by liberal democracies as a respectable leader.  So why has the west waited so long to take action against this dictator?  Of course it’s the oil.  Even the Democrats know it’s all about the oil. Western elites were morally and politically encouraging him by buying his oil and empowering him with endless cash as Libyan dissidents were dying in jails.

There is a reason why Europe yawns at Turkey’s use of chemical weapons against Kurdish rebels, while sending in the jets when Qaddafi bombs rebel positions.  Why the genocide in Sudan was not interrupted by a No Fly Zone, and top European firms still do business with Iran through proxies in Dubai.  It’s not about human rights.  It’s not even about the threat potential.  If it were, North Korea or Iran would be in our bomb sights. Right now Syria is massacring protesters, but don’t look for military intervention there either. That’s not what it’s about. It’s about the bright boys deciding that Qaddafi stands in the way of the future.  Genocide, ethnic cleansing and terrorism are minor crimes, compared to obstructing the emergency of a stable order and the fat profits it will bring.

Obama didn’t consult Congress as the constitution requires, but he did attempt to justify his action after the fact.  http://abcnews.go.com/images/Politics/Obama_Letter_Libya_Congress.pdf
He cited “Qaddafi’s defiance of the Arab League”, and the “international community”, as well as “the authority of the Security Council” should send chills up anyone’s spine.

No Mr. President, the fact that you consider the US to be the ‘Enforcer’ for the Arab League is what should send chills up anyone’s spine. 


It may very well be true that a world without Qaddafi will be a better place, but it’s unclear what Libya will be like without him.

Bush’s invasion of Iraq, ill-considered as it was, had a trace of idealism in it. That idealism is wholly and completely absent from what is happening in Libya, which is precisely why it stirred so much cynicism and rage.  Bush genuinely believed that Iraq and the rest of the Muslim world could be made better if we just showed them what was possible.

This is about trade, money and power.  It is why we are now spending billions of dollars on regime change in Libya, while ignoring genocide elsewhere.  It’s why a man who denounced the overthrow of Saddam, who actually did commit genocide, is now part of a campaign against Gaddafi, who has not.

The bottom line is, this wasn’t an intervention in response to genocide or WMD’s.        
It’s the oil stupid!