Politics are like Prostitution

Yes, but that would have involved not electing Bush.

Once the republicans got in there, EVERYONE knew Iraq was going to be invaded.

>>519814

>Could the Iraq War been avoided?

Yes, there was no real reason to go unless you care more about freeing every sandnigger in the middle east who lives under a nasty government. Which is basically every single one of them, let's be honest.

no, the military industrial complex deserves every dollar you have, ever will have along with your family's eternal servitude

You haven't heard of Karl Rove yet have you?

Everything that's happened in history could have been avoided.

Learn to historical thinking skills.

>>519823
You know he's just a fat balding man?

There's nothing sinister about him.

>Legit question, it's a fuckton of money and lives are being lost. And I'm not sure what for.
Duh, they were hiding weapons of mass destruction. No, wait, I mean harboring terrorists. No, scratch that, we were liberating them.

>>519823
No.

>>519822
The funny thing is I never hear about large military companies. Just how many and large are they?

>>519833
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBH4lXAauDI

Sure it could have been avoided, as many wars could...the Israeli way.
By sending in an assassination squad.

Before we invaded their oil reserves were nationalized and the public property of the Iraqi people. After the invasion, they were sold off and have become private.

This is not coincidence.

i was an anti-war activist in 2003. the answer is yes yes yes god yes it could have been avoided. it was even a dumber war than vietnam because we should've learned our lesson by then

that said i can't say it was a total waste. there's no saddam, iraq is arguably a better place to live. but the cost in US treasure and blood wasn't worth it

>>519841
Shit just got real.

They were going to attack us no matter what we did!

We needed that oil. They were the only ones not cooperating with us. So obviously we had to invade, and we had to stick around to make sure they forked over the oil after we left.

The only way it could have been avoided would have been to put in alternative energy infrastructure. We can speculate what might have happened under Gore, but that's a decision that would have had to have been made by congress.

Iraq was going to get invaded as inevitably as Alaska and Off shore was/is going to. Because we're addicts. We could get off if we had the will, but as long as there's cheap easy oil, we'll keep on using.

>>519849
Before we invaded thousands of people lived in terror that they'd be murdered by government's royal guard and feared worshiping the wrong way or saying something wrong.

Also no American companies have seen any of that oil.

Try against CODE PINK

>Iraq War was about Oil

There are still people who think this?

>>519861
>>519861
>implying there aren't better countries to invade if we wanted to save people.

>>519849
>This is not coincidence.


You're right. Since the government disbanded private Iraqi companies took the place of public companies.

>>519861

BP and Shell have. You should've gotten to the bidding table quicker, Americans.

>>519864
>implying that relevant at all

Before we invaded thousands of people lived in terror that they'd be murdered by government's royal guard and feared worshiping the wrong way or saying something wrong.

Before we invaded thousands of people lived in terror that they'd be murdered by government's royal guard and feared worshiping the wrong way or saying something wrong.

Before we invaded thousands of people lived in terror that they'd be murdered by government's royal guard and feared worshiping the wrong way or saying something wrong.

>>519863
Oil was a major factor in the decision to go to war. "this is a nation that can pay for it's own reconstruction" ect. ect.

It wasn't the only factor, but it was a big one that right wing talking heads like to conveniently ignore.

>>519869
No they haven't.

>>519872
>Oil was a major factor in the decision to go to war.

So people still believe this?

>>519861

>Also no American companies have seen any of that oil.

Er, no.

>BP Plc and Exxon Mobil Corp. took the best deal they could get in Iraq last year when they won the largest oil contracts since addam Hussein was toppled in 2003. Oil companies may wait a long time to get a better one.

Fresh: http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/mar2010/gb2010034_232444.htm

>>519861
Do you believe we invaded to liberate them from the evil government? H.W. Bush had no problem with saddam gassing the Kurds. It was when they started fucking with the oil supply to the US that we invaded

i don't think oil was the only reason... part of it was because bush had an Oedipus complex (no joke, he wanted to finish what daddy couldn't) and 9/11 made this climate where we HAD TO HAVE A WAR and afghanistan couldnt quench our bloodlust. and the ridiculous thing is, there wasn't really much debate. we went headlong into it without hesitation

>>519870
They had that same fucking problem before, during and after the first war and we didn't feel any need to turf Saddam out that time.

>>519882
Hey anon, mind if I rip that demotivational for use later?

>>519870

>Before we invaded thousands of people lived in terror that they'd be murdered by government's royal guard and feared worshiping the wrong way or saying something wrong.

Is that so? Then why haven't we invaded Saudi Arabia yet?

Oh yeah, because nobody cares about the people involved as long as their government sucks our government's cock.

>>519887
Certainly.
Have another.

>>519891
Mudslimes would get very pissy if we invaded Mecca

>There are people who think that we went to Iraq for any reason other than oil.

Derp. I guess it's just a coincidence that we invaded the only non US beneficial oil exporter and didn't 'liberate' any of the other countries ruled over by psychotic despots. Herp derp.

>>519895
Thanks mate

yeah, Colin Powell should have run for president in 2000.

>>519891
The use of military force has been and is because of economic interests.

>>519906

>The use of military force has been and is because of economic interests.

That's kind of what I was >implying

>>519901
>The second Iraq war could have been prevented if George "The Decider" Bush actually read the intelligence documents.
That wouldn't have changed a thing.

the us has more oil than the entire middle east combined. you're all morons.

http://www.youtube.com/user/kemuel0512
check this out!

If Saddam agreed to US terms on oil and stuff, US would be still selling them jets and tanks

So yes. It's just that Saddam was so good at staying alive against CIA.

>>519919

> the us has more oil than the entire middle east combined. you're all morons.

You can actually get to the middle-eastern oil without waiting for future technology, or spending way more money.

>>519930
Plus you don't have to pay 1st world wage rates of drilling the oil. Although shipping it costs a lot...

>>519919

No. You. Seriously.

We consume every drop we produce, are past peak, and still import billions more in oil every year. You are uneducated, and likely below the age of 18. I suggest you learn about economics before you post again. LURK MOAR.

>>519930
we have the technology to extract it now. and it would be profitable.

>>519941
i suggest you learn about oil reserves.

>>519944

>we have the technology to extract it now. and it would be profitable.

>He thinks you could extract and sell tar sands or shale oil at a price competitive to stealing it from sandniggers.

>>519950
you don't get it. speculation is what drives oil prices up.

>>519965

>you don't get it. speculation is what drives oil prices up.

Yeah, the fact that it costs an absolute fortune to get oil from shale or tar sands doesn't work in to the equation whatsoever.

>>519971
of course it's more expensive to produce, but you could still undercut

if you don't think the entire oil industry is price fixed you're fucking naive

>>519976

>if you don't think the entire oil industry is price fixed you're fucking naive

If you don't think the OPEC nations are shitting bricks because oil is RUNNING OUT then you're fucking naive.

>>519986
well that's their problem now isn't it :D

>>519971

not to mention how it requires absolute fuckloads of water to extract (which is left unusable afterwards), and then there's swaths of land that get left as desert.

lol oil dependency

Bears worth noting since many, many people seem to selectively disregard it:

NOT A SINGLE DROP OF IRAQ OIL HAS EVER HIT AMERICAN SHORES. NOT A SINGLE DOLLAR MADE OFF THE MARGINAL PROFITS OF OILS SALES HAS EVER HIT AN AMERICAN BANK ACCOUNT.

>>520027
well isn't global warming increasing sea levels? it's not like we're running out of that any time soon

>>519996

>well that's their problem now isn't it :D

No, it's a problem for all of us until Canada and Russia can get to their currently inaccessible reserves.

>>520042

fresh water is used in the extractions (and considering most oilsands are located thousands of miles inland, not really feasible.)

>>520053
or we get to ours...

>>520054
desalination, and pipes n shit

anyway had fun arguing peace

>>520038

Not to mention that Saddam was more than willing to sell oil to the US at a fair price. And fucking chinese companies have been awarded some of the contracts (by the iraqi government) to the state's oil reserves. But durrr the war was totes about oil.

To answer op's question: yes and no.

Things were left unsettled after the First gulf war (well, technically the 2nd, since the Iraq-Iran conflict was really the 1st) and the US has vested geopolitical interests in the region which saddam was a threat to. Plus, as cliched as this sounds at this point, 9/11 did have a huge impact on us foreign policy planners: Iraq was obviously in no way connected to the attacks but it did make us officials start to reexamine existing threats.

I don't think that Gore would have invaded Iraq, but there certainly would have been an escalation between the two powers: most likely Gore would have launched a bombing campaign, in a similar fashion as Clinton did in the late 90s.

>>520038
>american bank account
That's the thing...

Oil is fungible. The world market doesnt care where it goes.

>>520066

>or we get to ours...

Stop trolling, the US only has 21 billion barrels in proven reserves. That's fucking nothing.

Hey OP, What if Iraq was invaded under NWO orders to bring it into the fold of slave states?

>>520072
Clinton would have leveled the fucking country. Hussein wouldn't have had a palace to flee from.

man the 22nd amendment can suck a dick

>Could the Iraq War been avoided?

Yeah it could have been avoided by not declaring it. Dumbest war we've been in since Kuwait. OH I WONDER WHY THAT IS?

>>520089
bitches dont know bout my rocky mountains

It could have been avoided if W and Cheney and the jews hadn't done it.

Do you mean a way the rest of us could have stopped it? Given that about 75% of americans wanted it? I dunno, everything that comes to mind would be illegal.

Nope. We cleared the way for greater israel to help our jewish masters.

Pic related.

Interesting info:
http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/cabs/Iraq/Oil.html

Fighting a war in Afghanistan with Saddam right next door would have been hard to do. I assume that Saddam would have pulled the same tricks that we suspect other countries in the region of doing. Namely funneling weapon and fighters into the conflict areas to try and harm U.S. soldiers and sap resources.
To me, the strike against Iraq was based on the assumption that Saddam would have interfered with us anyway. What pisses me off about Bush and his administration is that they tried to make it about some other bullshit. We ended up finding out that our aggressive behavior towards Iraq and our unclear motivations made other nations we don't like even more nervous and hateful of our presence. I think they then funneled resources into Iraq because they saw it as the front line to a total U.S. vs. middle east war.

>>520183
I don't think that we really needed to go to war, but I understand why we thought Saddam would be a problem. Before we invaded, there was a growing intellectual crowd that resented the totalitarian rule. When a country is ready to make the transition from dictatorship to democracy, they do it by revolution and the people left behind after the fighting own their freedom in a way that only comes from knowing what freedom costs. I get the feeling that Iraqi's don't know what they have yet and I don't know if the country will be stable for a long time.
Education is the glue of a democracy and from what I see, their society currently lacks civility and is prone to violence that keeps them from the compromises that must be made in democratic societies.