McClellan: Iraq’s Oil ‘Certainly Played Heavily’ In Cheney’s Desire To Launch War

[kpete]

McClellan: Iraq’s Oil ‘Certainly Played Heavily’ In Cheney’s Desire To Launch War

Former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan appeared on CBC Radio One’s “The Current” this morning to discuss his recent memoir, in which, he asserts that the Bush administration waged a “propaganda” campaign in order to “sell the war” in Iraq to the public.

Inquiring about Vice President Dick Cheney’s motivations to go to war, host Jim Brown noted that Cheney “doesn’t strike me as someone who would be particularly motivated by idealistic visions.” McClellan agreed, adding that Iraq’s oil occupied Cheney’s mind more than anything else:

MCCLELLAN: Certainly you can’t discount the large oil reserves inside Iraq and how much that plays into our national security interests and I don’t think you can discount how much that plays into the vice president’s thinking.

BROWN: Or his portfolio for that matter.

MCCLELLAN: Or his portfolio for that matter, absolutely with that being a former chief executive officer for Halliburton and that certainly played heavily into his thinking more so I think than the idea of transforming the Middle East into a beacon of democracy.

more & audio at:
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/07/08/mcclellan-cheney-oil/

[bdamomma]

1. kick and rec.

[World Citizen]

2. how refreshing to see....

someone with smidge of courage, especially coming out of the Wipe House

[indepat]

3. If true, would it be a ratification that this was a criminal enterprise from the git-go?

[libodem]

4. The Peoples' Democracy

has been high-jacked by a criminal cartel. I hope if we don't get National justice there will be International justice at the Hague.

[Raster]

5. The criminal cartel that is cheney*/bush* are just the front men for

the Texas-American Petroleum Mafia and its symbiotic evil twin the Military Industrial Complex. It's always been about power. The power to control Iraq's substantial petroleum resources and the power to control, assist and THREATEN other players in the Middle East petroleum crapshoot.