Isn't the Oil connection to this war obvious? Why do some people think it's a liberal excuse?

Question

I'm not saying it's the only reason, I'm saying it is one of many reasons.
If you think oil has nothing to do with it, don't you know cheap oil is the lifeblood to our economy? To the world economy?
"Well if it's about oil how come gas is expensive?" Because the supply of oil in the Earth is limited and the majority of what's left is in the Middle East. "Why don't we just drill in Alaska?" I think we will at some point. Beyond all that, isn't oil backed by American dollars? What would happen if it were to switch to Euros?

thanks luis.

Answer 1

Oh, for pity's sake.

Yes, it's the oil.

Happy?

Answer 2

To say this war is about oil is misleading. Oil is one of the rewards that can be reaped from this war, but that's definitely not the only point.
First, to address the question of "how come gas and oil prices aren't cheaper?" The reason gas and oil aren't cheaper is because there is a lack of infrastructure to move the oil and there are a lack of refineries available to take that oil and make it into a usable product. Simply shipping the crude to the U.S. won't help much, because the refineries here are already working at 100% capacity. Just because U.S. troops are fighting in a country where oil exists, doesn't mean gas and oil prices automatically dip. Even if Iraq had the capacity to refine the oil, OPEC still regulates the amount that is exported.
As far as the "War for Oil" assertion: as I said, yes there is a degree to which this war is about oil. It's also about contracts for building an infrastructure (which primarily go to Kellogg, Brown, and Root (Halliburton), there are other defense contractors, but most importantly, this war (like all wars) is about establishing trade routes, and opening up the Iraq economy and all of it's resources to westerners... not just oil.
It's been happening in Iraq for a long time. Even during WWI when it was the English vs. the Germans over control of Iraq. What were they doing? They were establishing trade routes.

Answer 3

Luis is right. The war was fought in order to keep the dollar as the international reserve currency. That depends on the US capacity to manipulate the supply of oil.

What you pay for gas is much less than what Europeans and other nations that don;t produce oil pay for.

The US went in because of oil. It is staying in order to establish a client regime.

Peace.

edit: the guy talking about the US being interested in the free market of oil...PLEASE! Like we believe that.

Answer 4

Because it's the easiest defense to something that is indefensible. Have you noticed that everything is a liberal paranoid conspiracy since the Clinton administration? It's a deflection tactic that actually works really well in this mass media, no such thing as a complete story in the mainstream news, opinion displayed as fact type of climate we live in. I mean Bill O'Reilly's editorial show is shown on a "news" network. No one is interested in facts, just strong opinions.

Also, if big oil really had to shoot the price up that high why would they be having record profits on top of record profits. Sure they had to raise the prices, but certainly not that high, another thing that is taken for granted. They're gouging because they have the perfect story to justify it. Consumers don't track the numbers and no one is holding them accountable so they tack on a hefty embellishment percentage.

Answer 5

first off american dollars are backed by oil. the american dollar is a currency meaning it can be printed with out any backing. the only thing keeping our economy from crashing is the fact that we have a strong military and in turn keep saudi royal family in power. to return the favor the saudi royal family make sure opec nations trade oil exclusivelly in dollars. when opec or any nation in opec trade oil in any thing other than dollars it a danger to our econy. how big of a danger is it enough to wage war

Answer 6

It's a more-than-obvious fact that oil is the spoil of this war.
It just amazes me how Republican conservatives blatantly deny it, given their openly-capitalist stance. All it is people, is history repeating itself. Let's look back three centuries ago at the resources that were being commodified the same way oil is commodified today. Spices.
Yes, spices--the kind you find sitting in your pantry today.
Spices were as much of a valuable trade resource in the 16th and 17th century as oil is today. Many countries tried their hand at monopolizing this resource, and many fought to the death to defend their spice fields the same way, the U.S. (and its shareholders) are "fighting" to defend their oil investments. The Dutch-Portugese war, in fact, was a conflict that primarily involved the Dutch spice trading companies invading Portuguese colonies in the Americas, Africa, India and the Far East.

It's silly to think that it was all about spice. But yes - that's what it was. AND YES - it's all about oil.

Answer 7

The entire question of why to be involved in the Middle East is because the region needs to be stable for the free flow of oil to the world. It is a "connection" not the one and only reason.

What I don't like is the impression some people have that somehow its about the Cheney/Bush bank accounts, and the only reason we went to war is because of oil. That is just ignorant.

Do we need access to a free market for oil? Obviously. Do we want to control the oil? No. It's not our land.

Answer 8

After all these successful wars for cheap oil, I'm still patiently waiting for MY cheap oil.

Answer 9

Well, since we got the oil now if we wanted it, why isn't my local gas prices at about a dollar a gallon. Saying it is for war is the intellectual lazy explanation.

Answer 10

How much cheaper is oil now than when the war started?

Answer 11

80 dollar oil makes it a false assertion