Subject: RE: blood for oil: we had no choice
Date: Mon, 14 Jul 2003 17:37:14 +0200
From: "Bakker, R.B.M. de" <R.B.M.deBakker-AT-uva.nl>


And now you have misportrayed Wolfowitz a SECOND TIME, Rene, by not 
investigating the FULL quotation, just as you did with his earlier comments 
concerning the "beaurocratic" reasons for war in your post last month. This 
is the FULL quotation of what he said:

"Look, the primarily difference -- to put it a little too simply -- between 
North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options with Iraq 
because the country floats on a sea of oil. In the case of North Korea, the 
country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse and that I believe is 
a major point of leverage whereas the military picture with North Korea is 
very different from that with Iraq."

So Wolfowitz was comparing Iraq's oil to the economic weakiness of North 
Korea with reference to how much ECONOMIC LEVERAGE the US could exert on 
each country as an alternative method of influence. With North Korea, the US 
could exert much more influence economically because it is "teetering on the 
edge of economic collapse," whereas Iraq which "floats on a sea of oil." 
THAT is what he said, and it is clear if you look at the whole quote. But 
Rene, without investigating the full original quote, left out the second 
sentence and therefore made it seem like Wolfowitz was saying that the US 
went in for Iraqi oil!

Again, Rene, as in philosophy, go to the PRIMARY sources, not secondary ones 
like the Guardian.

Anthony Crifasi

  Anthony,
  
  Thanks, can't rely on the Guardian obviously.
  The "we had no choice" (primary source), esp. the self-centeredness that lies
  in the apparent evidence of it, is again troubling. It was Wolfowitz' c.s. old
  idea to remove Saddam, and now the opportunity was there. Is he also going to show now
  what is done to kids in Ivory Coast, and say: we had a choice, but we chose not to? 
  Or: the Israelian-Palestinian conflict must stop, we have no choice but settle it?
  But that kind of will is not there. Would it be, you would have old Europe on your side,
  and not like now the new Poles, who, now also beginning to profit from EU credits, can
  afford American F16's. 

  rene
 
  













     --- from list heidegger-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---