From the Times of London:
AMERICA’s elder statesman of finance, Alan Greenspan, has shaken the White House by declaring that the prime motive for the war in Iraq was oil.
In his long-awaited memoir, to be published tomorrow, Greenspan, a Republican whose 18-year tenure as head of the US Federal Reserve was widely admired, will also deliver a stinging critique of President George W Bush’s economic policies.
However, it is his view on the motive for the 2003 Iraq invasion that is likely to provoke the most controversy. “I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil,” he says.
Anyone see this reported in the US News programs? pretty big deal, I think.
5 comments:
Good Catch:
http://cottonmouthblog.blogspot.com/2007/09/greenspan-says-iraq-war-was-for-oil.html
My Link To Your Post
While I am glad that a fairly unimpeachable source is making this claim I think the tenor of the claim needs to be considered as well. Based on that quote, Greenspan isn't upset that our major reason for going to war was oil, he is bothered that we can't admit that our major reason for going to war was oil.
well, the problem he has is the one i have. do it or not, just don't lie to yourself about it. otherwise, you end up using the wrong calculus in deciding whether the risk is worth the benefit. additionally, i think if we had that clarity, we wouldn't be there. just like we'd have a VASTLY different view if we had a draft, where a real live son or daughter could be tied to each of those yellow ribbon stickers.
To me, the rationale is much more forgivable than the political assumption that the invasion wouldn't result in a failed state. it seems missing that shows profound incompetence...and ever action and mis-step can be traced to that root cause.
If we openly embraced that reason--oil as motivation--even now, I wonder if the strategy would change, and perhaps even improve.
However, I don't think that "most" Americans consciously think that this was the motivation. There is a huge Pollyanna factor for the "common folk" in regard to motivation.
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