Bush: If you don't like my Iraq plan, tell me yours

[Quartz]

@Gary Kumquat

That’s wrong on so many levels it’s almost impressive:

1. Ethically, it most certainly is our problem. We’re the ones who invaded, we’re the ones who overthrew the previous government, claiming it was a dictatorship that harmed it’s people. You think we can just cut and leave now, saying “not our problem”

Saddam and his perceived WMD was our problem, not Iraq. That has been dealt with. Actually, we should have left after bagging him.

2. Economically. Me, I’d like to see crude rise in price by 200%, I work for an oil service company.

Cite? My brother also works in the oil business. He does reservoir modelling. Ther are vast reserves elsewhere.

3. Politically. You really think it’s a clever idea to vacate an area that you’ve just stirred up massive hatred in, leaving a political vacuum?

They hated us before, remember? As for leaving a vacuum, yes, in the short term there will be a vacuum, but the Iraqis will sort themselves out.

[Gary_Kumquat]

@Quartz

Saddam and his perceived WMD was our problem, not Iraq. That has been dealt with. Actually, we should have left after bagging him.

Ah right, so you don’t feel any responsibility at all for the mess we’ve kicked off here?

Cite? My brother also works in the oil business. He does reservoir modelling. Ther are vast reserves elsewhere.

Cite for what? That I work in a services company? That I’d like the price of oil to rise by 200% as the financial benefits to me would outweigh increased cost of living, or that political instability in the middle east causes massive price increases in the cost of oil? If you’re merely quibbling over just how much we could see the price of oil rise if things go massively tits up in the middle east, go have a look at the 1973 oil crisis, where crude prices doubled for refineries. Now have a little think about how our dependence on oil has risen since the 70’s.

And could you please ask your brother to give you a little explanation on the percentage of world oil reserves in the gulf states. They’ve got 60% of proven reserves, and account for nearly 30% of production. Perhaps he might be able to explain the economic clout that gives them.

They hated us before, remember? As for leaving a vacuum, yes, in the short term there will be a vacuum, but the Iraqis will sort themselves out.

Oh aye - how did they hate us? What did they do to us to deserve having their entire country fucked over to the extend of 60000 civilian deaths and the smashing of their national infrastructure.

I also wonder just what consideration you’ve given to just who might fill that little vacuum. Just for a complete hypothetical, would you be quite so blasé if Iran strengthened their relations with majority Shi’ite community of Iraq to the point where they had taken control of the country? After all, we’ve certainly given those two nations one real thing in common - a complete distrust and fear of the US and UK. How much fun do you think those two could have on oil prices. Saudi Arabia is certainly rather worried at that possibility, their foreign minister Prince Saud al-Faisal declaring that the United States was ‘handing over the whole country to Iran’. Of course Saudi has a lot to worry about, with a sizeable Shi’ite population itself. See also Kuwait and Bahrain.

In short, if you think that following our abject display of warmongering we can now just traipse out and be unaffected by the consequences, I would have to assume that you’re a fucking fool.