Then on
This week, signing the National Defense Authorization Act 2008, Bush declared that he has power to circumvent four more laws, including a ban against using federal funds to establish permanent
Bush has inadvertently admitted that the invasion and occupation of
We learn also this week that
Every time Bush or a senior administration official has been questioned about permanent
Bush did not explain the specific basis for his objection to the prohibition on establishing permanent military bases in
The incessant signing of statements to advance executive power has been a trademark of his presidency. Presidents have done this in the past, but Bush has contested more sections of bills than all of his predecessors combined – including the ban on torture.
Clearly, the White House is determined to establish that the commander in chief can defy laws limiting his options in national security matters. to determine how and when US force will be used abroad, and which is widely perceived as a snub to the American constitutional. Or, fuck the constitution, there’s profits to be had.
Antonia Juhasz of the group Oil Change International argues that the issues of oil and permanent military bases are related.
"We've got the Bush administration pushing aggressively for an (Iraqi) law that would give oil companies 20- to 25-year contracts for oil in Iraq and if they were to be at work for an extended length of time, they would need security…If the U.S. military is going to stay in Iraq for 20 or 35 years, they're going to need bases….The bottom line has to be in the willingness to give the money. The budget for the war this year has reached 170 billion dollars for just the next year."
And meanwhile we learn from Akhbar Alkhaleej , a Bahraini daily
”The Iraqi deputy, who preferred his name not be mentioned, said the amount of money that could be paid for passage of the Oil and Gas Law [thus] doesn't exceed $150 million, if the $5 million figure is specified for each deputy, and this will be an insignificant amount compared to the concessions these American companies will obtain. He was referring to the fact that the Oil Law needs 138 votes to pass, and this is what the American parties are trying to obtain by several different methods, including the buying of votes, and blandishments, and threats.
“The deputy said he thinks the Americans will adhieve their aim with some deputies who will promise to vote for the bill in exchange for the mentioned amount of money, but he said others will not be selling their votes for any price, or under any type of pressure.
”The Iraqi deputy said these talks, which are being kept in the highest degree of secrecy, are centered on the leaders of parliamentary blocs, and on persons with influence in Parliament, so as to obtain the biggest number of votes possible. He said the Americans already had the votes of the Kurdish lists assured, but what they are trying for is to get sufficient votes to pass the bill and enact it at the earliest possible time.
”Recall that there are still parliamentary blocs that are firmly against voting for the Oil and Gas Law, and that there are others that say this should be put to a popular referendum, since it is something that concerns the fate of Iraq's oil wealth, and the sustenance of the Iraqi people."
Looks like the anti-war movement had better invest in a sturdy banner. US capitalism's blood for oil programme looks sent to continue until the last barrel of black gold is extracted from beneath the sands of Iraq. And it looks, too, as if average Americans are in for a tough future, with Bush giving himself increasingly more powers that will enable him to crush dissent. Makes sense though - if you're gonna pull of something big, like annex Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran and bog down US forces in a lengthy war for oil - and personally I think this is coming - then you're gonna need someone with dictatorial powers to quell opposition at home for, as any ruler knows, sometimes your own people can be the biggest obstacle to your profits overseas
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