ABCNews breaks story about Iraq War opponents being bought by Saddam

[chookie]

"ABCNEWS has obtained an extraordinary list that contains the names of prominent people around the world who supported Saddam Hussein's regime and were given oil contracts as a result. "


Allegedly found in files in Iraq's Ministry of Oil.
""You are looking at a political slush fund that was buying political support for the regime of Saddam Hussein for the last six or seven years," said financial investigator John Fawcett.

Investigators say none of the people involved would have actually taken possession of oil, but rather just the right to buy the oil at a discounted price, which could be resold to a legitimate broker or oil company, at an average profit of about 50 cents a barrel. "
http://abcnews.go.com/sections/WNT/Investigation/saddam_oil_vouchers_040129-1.html

Look at some cames on the list:
Indonesia President Megawati Sukarnoputri, an outspoken opponent of U.S.-Iraq policy

The son of the Syrian defense minister received 6 million barrels, according to the document, worth about $3 million.

George Galloway, a vocal critic of Iraq War, a British member of Parliament, was also on the list to receive 19 million barrels of oil, a $90.5 million profit.

And OF COURSE Those Awful Frogs: France was the second-largest beneficiary, with tens of millions of barrels awarded to Patrick Maugein, a close political associate and financial backer of French President Jacques Chirac.

This story would seem to support the claims that have been made by people like Cheney and Rummy and Rush that our allies, and others, did not support His Chimperial Highness against the Supreme Evil-Doer Saddam did so not just because they are evil themselves, but to enrich themselves, and were willing to allow the United States to be destroyed to keep their oil bucks. (Sounds like they're projecting here, but that's another story.)

I checked the list, figuring Howard Drean, John Kerry, Wesley Clark, Tom Dascle, Hillary Clinton were probably on it, but they were not.

Maybe it's true, but I do not buy it. I suspect it's along the lines of the Nigerian Yellowcake forgery.

I also do not buy the total absolute 100% exoneration of Tony Blair and the 100% culpability of the BBC and the 100% certainty of David Kelly's suicide, by Lord Hutton's report, released today.

I am not alone in this. Apparently many people in Britain are calling Hutton's report a whitewash.

Kind of funny that the dirt about people against the war being caught pocketing gifts from Saddam comes out on the same day....

[Stephanie]

1. This was posted here recently - different souce

Maybe an Asian newspaper? Anyone remember? ABC seems to be taking full credit. Who do they attribute as the source? They don't!

The document was discovered several weeks ago in the files of the Iraqi Oil Ministry in Baghdad.

According to a copy obtained by ABCNEWS, some 270 prominent individuals, political parties or corporations in 47 countries were on a list of those given Iraq oil contracts instantly worth millions of dollars.

[Columbia]

2. Old news

It's been known for years that France, Russia, and Germany were profiting from the sanctions and had huge loans to the Iraqi government. It was in their own self-interest to keep the status quo.

[auburnblu]

6. While France was telling Eastern Europe to shut up

Remember when France was telling Eastern European countries to shut up and threatening their EU membership. During that time my favorite chant was, "No Iraqi freedom for French oil contracts, No Iraqi freedom for French oil contracts."

[Kellanved]

15. everyone profited from the sanctions

except the Iraqis that is.
The US being the #1 importer of Iraqi oil BTW. You might have a look at the list: you'll see that no German names were on it - that argument won't fly.

[Columbia]

20. You are right about no German names on the list.

The French and the Russian names were quite extensive however.

[lastknowngood]

3. I'll bet there is no mention

of BFEE

[fishnfla]

4. Until now

they moved in on this turf. Its their oil now

[loudnclear]

5. Hey, there is nothing wrong with looking out for your own self-interest

Do you think the US is the only nation that has a right to do that? None of these nations receiving oil from Saddame were attacking the US, nor was Saddam...so what is the point? Of course many nations were against US policy for many different reasons. Just because the opposed our policies doesn't make our policies right. We were wrong, we are wrong, and we will be wrong as long as this group of thugs is running our government.

Saddame told the truth and Bush lied. Period! He had no WMDS. Saddam did not "throw the weapons inspectors out" as Bush claimed he did.
We were friends with Saddam in the 80's for the same reasons that other countries are being smeared for no...OIL~!!

Get off it...this is not even a newsworthy story!

[EllieDem]

7. No I think this explains why countries like

France were not only against war but going OUT OF THEIR WAY to get others to veto us too. Thats pretty crappy when we learn of the real reason now. Sorry but I have no soft spot for France and I know many fellow democrats who feel the same.

[stopbush]

13. Yeah, I have a BIG soft spot for France, and I know plenty of Dems

and DUers who do as well.

Real friends don't let their dry drunk friends start illegal wars based on lies. Did it ever occur to you that the French and Germans had the same intelligence as bush & Blair and reached the same conculsions that OUR intelligence services reached? That there was no threat and war was never an option? Yeah, that's it.

You haven't been on these boards very long, but you seem to trollop out a lot of transparently right-wing talking points on a regular basis. So, if you'll excuse my not-the-best French, Il y a beaucoup plus je voudrais dire, mais je ne veux pas risquer une claque sur le poignet des modérateurs. Cela a indiqué, j'ont une peau assez mince quand il vient à frapper français, ainsi soient avertis - vous obtiendrez une tonne de merde de moi si ce s'avère justement être votre mode de fonctionnement.

[Abigail147]

16. Are you putting me on?

[pacifictiger]

8. there is a difference between

buying oil when you don't have any in your own country, and coveting oil fields because you're so greedy.

[auburnblu]

9. huh

Remember 1998, remember when Clinton ordered a bombing, I do believe, whether or not its the "enlightened" perspective or not, that indeed Saddam did kick out weapons inspectors.

[Cat Atomic]

10. No he didn't- sorry.

Hussein restricted access to certain sites, and in retaliation, Clinton ordered a bombing campaign. CLINTON pulled the inspectors out so they wouldn't be blown up.

[stopbush]

11. You know, it's amazing how stupid these people are.

On the one hand, they go to war on knowingly false information, then, they float the idea that they were deceived by Saddam through some disinformation campaign about WMDs. But now, from the same files, they pull out a document that couldn't possibly be disinformation because it conveniently identifies every major country that was against bush's illegal war as being in cahoots with our CIA operative - and hand-shakin' friend of Donny Rumsfeld - SH.

If I've learned one thing in my life, it's how to identify and question serial liars. They just can't help themselves. The urge to lie extends even to situations where telling the truth would make their point or help their cause. They really think they're more clever than everyone else, and they have a bad tendency to believe not only their own spin but their media reviews.

It's all so sad, but this is the sorry-ass government we're stuck with until next year.

[Dover]

12. And what about American bribes in support of the War and Intelligence?

Is this supposed to outweigh the U.S. own complicity in creating the War? Can it even be believed?

[Selwynn]

14. We already knew this before we ever went to war -- not everyone who...

...voiced opposition to the invasion did so for noble reasons. That doesn't make our actions right. It just serves as a healthy reminder that the world is a pretty ugly place, and all of those in power in the world act almost exclusively for their own interests, not the interest of justice.

It's up to the rest of us to act in interest of justice.

[htuttle]

17. I don't buy this, sorry

Sure, we all knew that some countries had existing contracts with Iraq, and that those countries wanted to keep those contracts.

But this list is ridiculous!

The last 'documents' to accuse Galloway turned out to be forgeries. Now, conveniently enough, there he is again.

And of that entry, I have one question: WHAT THE HELL would George Galloway do with the right to purchase 19 million barrels of oil? If they wanted to bribe him, wouldn't some of those billions of dollars in cash they found be more effective? It sure would have been a hell of a lot less traceable, not to mention liquid (um...no pun intended...).


Sorry. At this stage of the game, any documents that suddenly appear with questionable heritage that purport to prove ANYTHING the Bush administration said should be treated with the utmost skepticism.

They are known liars.

[plurality]

18. Exactly, we've had control of Iraq for 7 months now

and it's only NOW that these documents turn up. Something tells me if these documents were truly genuine, we'd have heard about it within 2 weeks of Baghdad's fall and not now.

[Cocoa]

19. ABC News is terrible source for anything

this story is worthless until it is checked out by a credible news organization.