So, Mr. Bush, how is your oil grab in Iraq going?

[seafan]

Just keeping an eye on Bush's favorite benchmark:


Paragraphs 1 and 2:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 24 — With American military successes outpacing political gains in Iraq, the Bush administration has lowered its expectation of quickly achieving major steps toward unifying the country, including passage of a long-stymied plan to share oil revenues and holding regional elections.

Instead, administration officials say they are focusing their immediate efforts on several more limited but achievable goals in the hope of convincing Iraqis, foreign governments and Americans that progress is being made toward the political breakthroughs that the military campaign of the past 10 months was supposed to promote.

Playing down expectations and running down the clock are always red flags with this crowd. Need more propaganda first to confuse the subjects.



Paragraphs 21 and 22:

The troop increase at the beginning of the year was intended to create the conditions to improve Iraq’s political stability, measured by so-called benchmarks, including a broad agreement on sharing oil revenues.

But those benchmarks remain largely unfulfilled. The administration’s critics in Congress have cited the lack of progress toward those benchmarks as evidence that the White House is on the wrong track and ought to begin a rapid pullout of combat forces.

.....

Looks like the focused arm twisting to *create the conditions* was unsuccessful....



Paragraph 32:

When Congress debated the war earlier this year, the administration pushed hard for the Iraqis to approve some of the legislation. Several times, for example, the law on dispensing oil revenues, which are now surging because of high world oil prices, appeared on the brink of adoption, only to stall.

But don't for a minute think that Bush is backing away from his oil grab, no matter what the NY Times tells us.



Paragraph 37(of 39):

Earlier this month, the White House dispatched several senior aides to Baghdad to work with the Iraqis on specific legislative areas. They include the under secretary of state for economic, energy and agricultural affairs, Reuben Jeffery III, who is working on the budget and oil law; the State Department’s senior Iraq adviser, David M. Satterfield, who is focused on the elections and de-Baathification law; and Brett McGurk, the National Security Council’s Iraq director, who is pressing for the United Nations mandate and a longer security agreement.

Stay tough, Iraqis! George W. (*Mr. Unintended Consequences*) Bush has driven the value of your oil into the stratosphere. He will stop at nothing to grab control of it for himself and his greed-driven agenda, to hold the world hostage. Don't let him steal it.

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we." -----George W. Bush, August 5, 2004

[ladjf]

1. The Iraqis will never give away their oil to any outsiders. (nt)