Yes, Virginia, it ALWAYS was about oil

Randi Rhodes was rightfully ranting about this the other day, and these series of articles in the UK Independent by Danny Forsten are required reading for anyone who still maintains the slightest bit of fantasy that there was anything remotely noble about our destruction of Iraq.

Blood and oil: How the West will profit from Iraq's most precious commodity
So was this what the Iraq war was fought for, after all? As the number of US soldiers killed since the invasion rises past the 3,000 mark, and President George Bush gambles on sending in up to 30,000 more troops, The Independent on Sunday has learnt that the Iraqi government is about to push through a law giving Western oil companies the right to exploit the country's massive oil reserves.

Future of Iraq: The spoils of war
The US government has been involved in drawing up the law, a draft of which has been seen by The Independent on Sunday. It would give big oil companies such as BP, Shell and Exxon 30-year contracts to extract Iraqi crude and allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil interests in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.

Iraq poised to end drought for thirsting oil giants
The Iraqi Council of Ministers is expected to approve, as early as today, a controversial new hydrocarbon law, heavily pushed by the US and UK governments, that will radically redraw the Iraqi oil industry and throw open the doors to the third-largest oil reserves in the world. It would allow the first large-scale operation of foreign oil companies in the country since the industry was nationalised in 1972.
And just as a reminder of the type of animal that occupies the seats of power in America's oil giants, here's my favorite pinup of former Exxon/Mobil CEO Lee Raymond:


Oh, and what about Exxon-Mobil's giant contributions to understanding the threat of global warming? From Tara Lohan at Alternet:

A new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists offers the latest evidence about how ExxonMobil has been actively working for years on a disinformation campaign to prevent action on climate change, confuse the public, and stymie scientists.

ExxonMobil is one of the world's largest producers of global warming pollution - if they were a country, ExxonMobil would rank 6th in the world in global warming emissions.

According to the report, "Smoke, Mirrors & Hot Air: How ExxonMobil Uses Big Tobacco's Tactics to Manufacture Uncertainty on Climate Change," the company has funneled nearly $16 million between 1998 and 2005 to a network of 43 advocacy organizations that seek to confuse the public on global warming science.