Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
The instability of the region - the whole Middle East, in fact - is one of the dictating factors of the price per barrel. It should be overtly apparent that Bush's intentions for the Middle East are to exert greater control, so the supply - and projected supply - of oil to his financial backers is not disrupted.Perhaps we should be dancing in a different thread though?
Oil was already flowing out of Iraq before the war started and the price of gas was cheaper for Americans.
Perhaps...
Originally posted by Trickster
There are more reasons for a rise in gas prices than just instability in the Middle East. It seems that oil companies have only just realised there is a limited supply of the source of their wealth, so they're pumping up the prices.Why would Bush care about his approval ratings now? He's not trying to run again, so he can concentrate on making his retirement a happy one.
Actually, Abdallah S. Jum'ah, president and chief executive of Saudi Aramco recently confirmed that due to technological improvements the oil reserve could be boosted to add one trillion barrels over the next 25 or so years.
You realize the Bush cabinet needs to care about its ratings, they will reflect on the Republicans in the upcoming reelections. Also, he is already filthy rotten rich.
Originally posted by Kinneary
So then no real, definable reason? It seems to me that endless invasions and looking inept is going to do nothing but hurt Bush and his cabinet's reputation and careers after their terms are over.
Yes, 2 Invasions, 1 of a Dictatorship, 1 of an Anarchist Terrorist Organization, is endless.
They need the votes for Republicans, so they're caving in to Democrats
No evidence bin Laden is dead, says Saudi Arabia
'Saudi Arabia said on Sunday it had no evidence that Osama bin Laden had died, shedding further doubt on a secret document leaked in France that said Saudi secret services believed he had died last month.
France and the United States said on Saturday they could not confirm the report in French regional daily L'Est Republicain which quoted France's DGSE foreign intelligence service as saying the Saudi secret services were convinced the al Qaeda leader had died of typhoid in Pakistan in late August.'
(This whole story is to divert attention from the fact that Bin Laden died long ago, probably of kidney failure)
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/24092006/325/evidence-bin-laden-dead-saudi-arabia.html
Originally posted by Kinneary
What's the point of 'them' having control if 'they' still have to pay more for it?
Well, the situation is still incredibly insecure, but as the oil reserves pass peak production, greater control of this resource by the US is obviously preferable to them. Think of it in contrast to a situation where a regime that is unsympathetic to the US can threaten the suspension of production to them. This scenario is especially unsavoury to the US as China is so desperate to secure any source of oil for their own consumption.
Originally posted by Ya Krunk'd Floo
The greater the number of nation-members within OPEC who are sympathetic to Bush, the better it is for the US. Hence, the greater control the US can exert over the Middle East.Start up an 'Oil Thread' if you want to discuss this further...
Oil was cheaper with Saddam in power... The U.S. and Saddam may have had uneasy relations, but as far as oil was concerned, it flowed freely and far cheaper out of Iraq while Saddam was in power. Most nations may dislike Bush now, but what OPEC loves is U.S. currency, they always have, they can rely that we need oil and we will pay top dollar for it. Take Chavez for example, it's safe to say he down right hates Bush to the core, yet he (and his government) loves our money, so the oil continues to flow.
Na, I'm done if you are.
Originally posted by Robtard
Oil was cheaper with Saddam in power... The U.S. and Saddam may have had uneasy relations, but as far as oil was concerned, it flowed freely and far cheaper out of Iraq while Saddam was in power. Most nations may dislike Bush now, but what OPEC loves is U.S. currency, they always have, they can rely that we need oil and we will pay top dollar for it. Take Chavez for example, it's safe to say he down right hates Bush to the core, yet he (and his government) loves our money, so the oil continues to flow.
The Bush administration is heavily backed by American oil companies - indeed, many of the top dogs are former oil-execs and CEOs - so, the link between a desire for oil-control and the administration is obvious. With a bit of research into the contracts given out after the invasions of Afghanist and and Iraq, it becomes pretty obvious that a major reason for these wars is to secure the profits of American oil companies doing business internationally. Indeed, the Department of Energy's own September 2001 report on the situation in Afghanistan highlights their desire for control, which has the consequence of increasing those profits:
"Afghanistan's significance from an energy standpoint stems from its geographical position as a potential transit route for oil and natural gas exports from Central Asia to the Arabian Sea. This potential includes the possible construction of oil and natural gas export pipelines through Afghanistan, which was under serious consideration in the mid-1990s. The idea has since been undermined by Afghanistan's instability. Since 1996, most of Afghanistan has been controlled by the Taliban movement, which the United States does not recognize as the government of Afghanistan".Source
I understand the point you're making, but the situation with regards to oil control isn't as simple as "OPEC says..."
More Evidence 'al-Qaeda' Is A CIA-ISI Creation
'For every person who looks beyond the official story and gleans the indisputable truth about "al-Qaeda" and various other intelligence contrivances engineered by the Pentagon, CIA, MI-6, Mossad, et al, there are literally millions of people who buy into the official explanation, or rather Brothers Grimm machination-the Muslims, represented by the dead Osama and al-Zarqawi, are out to get us and an incessant "clash of civilizations" is required, with attendant police state and tyranny at home.