[TigersEye]

His refusal to scrap them 12 years ago, as he pledged, cost Iraq more than $100 billion in lost oil revenue, perhaps as much as $200 billion. That's a lot to forgo for a WMD arsenal. But it's WMD that Saddam values most.

Not only is the idea that 'oilmen' like Bush and Cheney will profit from liberating Iraq an empty and ridiculous notion but the statement above is very telling about Saddam. He could personally be richer by a huge factor if he just played along with the U.N. and rode that big wave of oil. As long as he kept within his borders and didn't kill dissenters too overtly he could maintain his iron fist control over Iraq. He obviously has other ambitions.

[Cacophonous]

Saddam is not exactly suffering for funds. His switch to the Euro netted him a big ol' pile.

[Cacophonous]

Not only is the idea that 'oilmen' like Bush and Cheney will profit from liberating Iraq an empty and ridiculous notion...

I'm not sure it is a ridiculous notion, but so what? The real question is, "Is profit their motive?". I doubt it is; but they are (or were) businessmen, and successful ones. So they might make some money in the process, but it may shouldn't matter, except to the whiner crowd.