Posted on 09/17/2007 8:28:47 AM PDT by listenhillary
By Bob Woodward Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, September 17, 2007; A03
Alan Greenspan, the former Federal Reserve chairman, said in an interview that the removal of Saddam Hussein had been "essential" to secure world oil supplies, a point he emphasized to the White House in private conversations before the 2003 invasion of Iraq.
Greenspan, who was the country's top voice on monetary policy at the time Bush decided to go to war in Iraq, has refrained from extensive public comment on it until now, but he made the striking comment in a new memoir out today that "the Iraq War is largely about oil." In the interview, he clarified that sentence in his 531-page book, saying that while securing global oil supplies was "not the administration's motive," he had presented the White House with the case for why removing Hussein was important for the global economy.
"I was not saying that that's the administration's motive," Greenspan said in an interview Saturday, "I'm just saying that if somebody asked me, 'Are we fortunate in taking out Saddam?' I would say it was essential."
He said that in his discussions with President Bush and Vice President Cheney, "I have never heard them basically say, 'We've got to protect the oil supplies of the world,' but that would have been my motive." Greenspan said that he made his economic argument to White House officials and that one lower-level official, whom he declined to identify, told him, "Well, unfortunately, we can't talk about oil." Asked if he had made his point to Cheney specifically, Greenspan said yes, then added, "I talked to everybody about that."
Greenspan said he had backed Hussein's ouster, either through war or covert action.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
No, Bush was right.
Difference?
One took the decision, the other just agrees to the position.
Well the left has already had premature emissions over Greenspan’s words.
Now they just look stupid. (As if they needed any help in that!)
"I was not saying that that's the administration's motive," Greenspan said in an interview Saturday, "I'm just saying that if somebody asked me, 'Are we fortunate in taking out Saddam?' I would say it was essential."
Hardly controversial and considerably different than the sensational take of much media coverage. I am more aggrieved that we had a Chairman who seems to support Hillery.
I missed that.
Why do you say that he supports Hillary?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1897714/posts
From the Link:
Greenspan, who in his memoir criticized Bush and congressional Republicans for abandoning fiscal discipline and putting politics ahead of sound economics, also expressed dismay with the Democratic Party in an interview with The Wall Street Journal published on Monday.
Greenspan told the Journal he was "fairly close" to former President Bill Clinton's economic advisers, but added, "The next administration may have the Clinton administration name, but the Democratic Party ... has moved ... very significantly in the wrong direction." He cited its populist bent, especially its skepticism of free trade. Clinton's wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, is the Democratic presidential front-runner.
Greenspan’s criticism of Bush, and especially Vicente Fox’s disparaging remark that Bush is the cockiest person he’d ever met who spoke grammar school Spanish pi$$ed me off. Even Bush’s grammar school Spanish is better Spanish than most of the uneducated masses he rules. And I’d love to hear Fox’s English.
Bush has been as kind as possible to our souther neighbor,a nd he gets kicked in the a$$ for it.
No wonder the country is such a joke.
Greenspan’s criticism of Bush, and especially Vicente Fox’s disparaging remark that Bush is the cockiest person he’d ever met who spoke grammar school Spanish pi$$ed me off. Even Bush’s grammar school Spanish is better Spanish than most of the uneducated masses he rules. And I’d love to hear Fox’s English.
Bush has been as kind as possible to our souther neighbor,a nd he gets kicked in the a$$ for it.
No wonder the country is such a joke.
Even if securing the world’s oil supply was a motive, it is not the same as “stealing Iraq’s oil,” which is the slander routinely put out by the Left.
Boy, does he want to sell a lot of books! LOL.
Alan: Honey, the book is finally finished! Hey, you seen my truss anywhere?
Andrea: That’s great honey! Ah, your truss is over there, on the lamp shade where you left it.
Alan: Oh yeah. Hey, want to read a little of the book?
Andrea: Just give me a quick over view.
Alan: Ok, well, its just about the time at the Fed and how everything worked out pretty good, except for not doing something about that sub-prime lending thingy.
Andrea: Honey, you know that stuff isn’t going to sell, unless you are trying to sell a cure for insomina! You need to spice it up with some “dish” on conservatives, talk about how the war is Bush’s fault so my network will pay attention! THAT will get the boys in the press room working overtime and insure plenty of sales!
Alan: You think so?
Andrea: Of course I do! It will get you number one on the Times Best Seller list, guaranteed! Think of it! Why, I am getting excited all over right now!
Alan: Right now?
Andrea: Right now!
Alan: Hehe! You want me to go get my little bottle of blue pills?
Andrea: Ahh, gee honey, I, ahh, have to meet, ahh, you know that guy, ahh, Keith Ober-somthing or other. He, ahh, he needs to discuss that, ahh, meeting thing.
Alan: But snookie pants, it’s been four months! I’ve got all this pent up energy!
Andrea: You just put all that “extra energy” into rewriting that book of yours and we’ll see. Maybe after we do an interview on 60 Minutes!
Alan: But wouldn’t you want me to have the interview on your own network? With that Keith Ober-whac-a-ma-call-it?
Andrea: Are you kidding? NOBODY with an IQ above 3 watches that idiot!
Alan: Well, you know best, cutie pootie.
Andrea: Alan, time for your meds again ...
Angling for radicals left and right.
Economic security is an important issue for a nation and a culture.
Strong nations realize this and act in their interests.
Hey Alan!
SHADDUP!
Rush on this now...
your good, you should write for tv.
Greenspan has an agenda. A very elite one. Beware
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