Hussein Skimmed Billions from UN Food for Oil Program

First of all, you couldn't have know about this corruption for over a year since the documents detailing the scam were only found several months ago post liberation.

I beg your pardon...

April 23, 2003 - KICKBACKS from Iraq’s oil sales have run into billions of dollars because of loopholes in the United Nations Oil-for-Food system designed to feed the Iraqi people.

Saddam Skimmed the UN: How the Oil-for-Food program financed Saddam's palaces

November 3, 2002 - A complaint filed with the United Nations details how Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein's regime set up kickback deals on barrels of oil that he sold and bypassed the strict sanctions imposed on his regime after the gulf war...For years it had been an open secret that Saddam was plundering the Oil for Food program -- netting a huge cash windfall that the CIA believes the Iraqi dictator has used to finance his weapons programs.

Complaint Details Deal Set Up by Saddam's Son to Skim Profits from 'Oil for Food'

March 7, 2001 - Iraqi officials have begun to demand in recent months kickbacks and illegal commissions on contracts for food, medicine and other essential civilian goods bought from foreign companies under a supervised "oil for food" program, diplomats and United Nations officials said today.

U.N. Aides Cite Payoff Racket in Iraqi 'Oil for Food' Plan

It is a blockbuster once the elite press like the NYT start covering it.

FYI...the NYT reported on this last year:

Oil, Food and a Whole Lot of Questions New York Times - April 18, 2003

Oh, and by the way...this is not the first time the story has been called a "blockbuster":

Feb 2003 - My [wife] caught a report by Fox News Channel's Eric Shawn about the U.N. oil-for-food program. This hasn't been picked up anywhere, but it will come as a blockbuster revelation for anyone wondering why the French, Germans and Russians stood in the way of liberating Iraq.

Kofi Annan's Oil-For-Food Corruption/Oil, Food and a Whole Lot of Questions

Kabar, I completely agree with your posts. The "duh" reaction ignores the 180 degree change in NYT's former objective: to derail Bush and the invasion of Iraq on the basis of the UN Security Council's veto.

Sure, we've all known of massive corruption for a long time, but it is a HUGE shift when liberal media report it, and it was the most detailed piece I've come across. Even if the story languishes in the public eye, I believe the Western legal system, including France's, will persue indictments tenaciously.

Unfortunately, Democrats can no longer recall the UN veto because it happened about a year ago. They just know that "Bush Lied".

I agree that the story was out there, but without any real facts or prominence. The Rosett story is the first one I remember, but it lacked specific details. Rosett called for "let's see the books." Everyone figured Saddam was skimming off money, but the global extent of his bribes was not known until fairly recently. As I said, the story needs to be pursued vigorously and the NYT article may provide the impetus to do so.

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