Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil (RUH ROH!!)

The Guardian ^ | 6/4/03

[areafiftyone]

Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those opposed to the US-led war. The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil.

The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.

Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the deputy defence minister 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."

Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North Korea and its neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.

His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass destruction."

Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.

Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come at a worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing fierce criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they exaggerated the threat post by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the war.

Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign affairs select committee announced last night it would investigate claims that the UK government misled the country over its evidence of Iraq's WMD.

The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in secret and reports to the prime minister.

In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's justification for the war and prompted calls for congressional investigations.

Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a strong advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.

Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and "end" states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.

Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr Wolfowitz was dean and professor of international relations at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the Johns Hopkins University.

[MJY1288]

I'll wait to see the transcript before I comment

[Trust but Verify]

Two words:

Loose cannon.

[johniegrad]

Agreed. This piece of fishwrap is not reliable.

[areafiftyone]

I don't know how credible this source is so I am taking it with a grain of salt!

[darkwing104]

The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.

Must be Jayson Blair's new gig.

[ewing]

Especially from the UK Guradian..if they tell me the sun is rising in the east I am checking the window

[PianoMan]

The weasels are trying to stir this up into a full-fledged assault. By the time we find more evidence, many in Europe will probably believe it was fabricated.

[My2Cents]

The war wasn't about oil. It was more about terrorism, uprooting a festering puss bag of oppression in the Middle East, and making a statement that the US and its allies are sick and tired of the insanity in the region. The fact that Iraq sits on a pile of oil makes it a strategic country, more strategic than NK, but it wasn't about oil, no matter how much the Guardian wants to spin this story.

[areafiftyone]

I would like to know what Wolfowitz said exactly!

[y2k_free_radical]

REALPOLITIC says we had to protect our supply of oil from the MIDDLE EAST against the growing threat of SADDAM HUSSEIN.That reason alone was enough to want regime change.

[Prodigal Son]

So, what's the Guardian griping about exactly? It's the truth. Iraq is literally positioned above a sea of oil. Nothing could be closer to the truth. Are they bitchin' because Wolfie told the truth instead of lyin'? Enquirin' minds wanna know.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

troop withdrawal

[CoolGuyVic]

"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."

Supposedly that's a direct quote. If it is, it doesn't look good.

[Moonman62]

More out of context misquotes from the Vanity Fair interview.

[tictoc]

It is a well-known fact that al-Guardian is delivered in horse-drawn carriages. Never would they allow any oil to be used in the manufacture of their newspaper.

[Sir Gawain]

Hey, I'll use the freeper "Scott McClellan excuse":

You don't think he's saying this without the president's approval do you? Nothing gets said in this administration without the president authorizing it.

[LS]

Wolfowitz was NOT completely or correctly quoted the first time, so I doubt the context here supports the implication. Don't kid yourself: terrorists and WMDs, that's the reason, and the only reason, we went in.

[MonroeDNA]

I'll bet it turns out he meant that the Iraqi's are self-sustaining, due to their vast oil resource, but that NK is about to implode on their own.

In other words, Iraq had no chance of going away by itself; NK is doing a pretty good job killing itself.

[Dog Gone]

The Guardian is the only news outlet with this "quote."