[marron]

Don't people understand that we benefit what ever happens?

We pump oil. It doesn't matter to us if the price goes up, or down, we get paid either way. If the country in question is bankrupt, as most OPEC countries are, we still get paid. It makes us no difference either way.

If Iraqi oil comes on line, we'll have a shot at doing the work. It will drive the price of oil down, and retard some work in other parts of the globe. If Iraqi oil stays off line, the price of oil stays high, and other fields become profitable. And we help bring them on line instead.

Either way, we don't care. We still get paid.

[Shermy]

The point is to lessen Saudi power, and lessen their take, I think. This will lessen their sponsorship of terror and spread of Wahhabism. Other countries are ittching to take away OPEC rations from Saudi, which has accorded itself with a proportion far in excess of its population - but they're quite in debt...

The article reads a little like Saudi talking points. But one thing is striking about it - failure to mention natural gas. Iraq has plenty of it. Iran enormous amounts. Russia even more. Saudi has less than Qatar, by fluke of geology. The world, especially Europe, is moving to a natural gas dominated economy, substituting oil. Iraq is situated, via lines through Turkey, to be an efficient exporter of gas to Europe. This is the trend in the industry, little commented upon.

"Russian and French companies have been cutting deals with Iraq to develop its oil resources"

Now you have to throw Turkey into the mix, because they are going to claim suzreignty over the Turkoman regions of North Iraq, around Mosul and Kirkuk, much of Iraq's resources are there. Such also explains French and Russian intense "interest" in Iraq. France, via Fina/Elf and other companies, has been playing the rogue state card against the USA, focusing investments in countries that USA won't deal with - Iraq, Iran and Libya. Esp. Iran. They commit little sabotages like siding with Iran that Central Asian oil would be cheaper to transport thru Iran, which is patently untrue...

Back to Iraq. Iraq could void the deals with France and Russia, that's the cards we hold against them. that's why they're so concerned about the outcomes. I bet Saddam has oversold about 1000% of the rights to Iraq resources, which will be interesting to see how the rights holder deal with.

The way I see it, the target is to lessen the Saudi take. Developing Iraq, having Nigeria and others demand increases in production rations, non-opeckers like Angola and Russia increasing there production, and overall, the increase in natural gas usage will help this target.

Money has a cost - to whom it goes. Saudi Arabia is our enemy, not that we deserve it, but it's the outcome of their extremism and culture.

I saw NY Times Thomas Friedman on the toob the other day, he of the "NYTimes/Saudi peace plan fame. Guess They're not his pals anymore. He told, in his "surprised" kind of way, how a UAE citizen cozied up to him and told him "Don't believe the Saudis - Osama bin Laden lives in every one of their homes."