When Will We Leave Iraq? As Soon As The Oil Does

"Iraq certainly is a country with incredible resources. We've said all along we're very interested in ultimately going into Iraq."

-James Mulva, CEO of ConocoPhillips, speaking at a forum this week

You have to appreciate the candidness of oil executives: they're always after more opportunities to drill oil, and a bloody insurgency, or even having a name that rhymes with a part of the female body, is not going to stop them. Mulva has exceptional cause for wanting to drill Iraq's rich oil reserves. His company is lagging behind Shell, BP, Cheveron, Total and Exxonmobil in the conquest to be the world's largest oil corporation, if not the world's largest corporation period. With the exception of Total, these oil giants are British and American-owned and have been barred from drilling in Iraq since Iraq nationalized its oil fields in 1972. Not until 2003, when American and British troops invaded Iraq, were these firms no longer hindered by Saddam Hussein, who had previously only allowed contracts with Total, a French corporation. Now, the firms are hindered by another problem: the Insurgency. Why is this of key importance? Because we're not leaving Iraq until the oil does. Now, this is not a segway to a "Blood for Oil" rant. Of course the United States had a strategic interest in freeing up Iraqi oil. Is that the end of the story? Absolutely not. As we begin to see the real picture about why we invaded Iraq, we must not blur reality through cliches like "Blood for Oil", especially as they suggest Bush was just looking out for the few hundred million Americans who use gas. The truth about this war is much more complicated. But in the initial interest of preserving our democracy, the national debate should first be focused on the ease with which the Administration sold this war to public, which was, in fact, a major motivation for war in the first place. But before Americans can even begin to wake up from the haze of 9/11, an even more pressing question to ask is this: When is our military going to leave Iraq? Regardless of why they are there, we aren't leaving until the oil is property of these large American and British firms. This will likely involve the formation of an Iraqi government that will agree to the privitization of Iraq's oil, foreign investment and "Product Sharing Agreements", whether or not this is the will of the Iraqi people or not. To drill and manufacture oil on a massive scale, the Iraqi government would require billions in capital of the big firms, who will insure they essentially become the new owner's of Iraq's oil through PSAs. Sure, Iraq will be in the Iraqis' hands, but what lies underneath them will be in Mulva's hands. So want to know when we'll leave Iraq? Wait until Iraq's oil starts reaching your gas tank.