REMEMBER WHEN THEY THOUGHT IT WAS FUNNY TO CALL THE INVASION "OPERATION IRAQI LIBERATION?"

It probably isn't likely that an Obama administration is going to be as gung ho as the Bush-Cheney Regime to allow oil companies that have financed Republican party politics to gobble up Iraq's oil industry. In the 2006 election cycle Big Oil and Gas donated over $20,000,000 to federal politicians-- $3,576,445 to Democrats and $16,570,858 (82%) to Republicans. So far this year-- and they're only getting started-- they're contributed over $17,000,000, again overwhelmingly to Republicans ($12,650,059 or 74%). Of their 7 biggest beneficiaries in 2006, only one is still in office, Hay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), the rest, all slavish and stupendously corrupt servants of Big Oil's special needs, were defeated-- Rick Santorum (R-PA), Conrad Burns (R-MT), George Allen (R-VA), James Talent (R-MO), Denise Bode (R-OK), and Dirty Dick Pombo (R-CA). Many other of their favored candidates are no longer in positions to help them-- being defeated, arrested or having retired. And not one Democrat was in their Top 20 (although fake Dems Senator Ben Nelson and Rep. Dan Boren were close).

This year their Mr. Big, predictably is John W. McCain ($791,777 so far). The members of Congress they are most eager to shore up-- so they can continue fighting for Big Oil-- are John Cornyn (R-TX), Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Mitch McConnell (R-KY), and a couple of fake-Dem shills, Mary Landrieu (LA) and Dan Boren (OK). Their top 20 House recipients include 5 conservative Democrats and 15 Republicans and their top 20 in the Senate, exclusive of the presidential candidates, include 3 conservative Democrats-- Landrieu, Pryor and Baucus-- plus 17 reactionary Republicans.

This morning's NY Times seems to indicate that the Bush and Cheney connected oil companies are moving in for the kill while Republicans still run the show and they still can. Henry Waxman is asking some embarrassing questions that seem to smack of the Regime and its operatives helping to set up big campaign contributors with even bigger Iraqi opportunities-- illegally.

Hunt Oil, huge, longtime Bush backers, has moved in on Kurdistan-- no-bid contracts and all-- infuriating the central government and, despite stated U.S. policy to the contrary, "State Department officials did nothing to discourage the deal and in some cases appeared to welcome it..."

Disclosure of those contracts has provided substantial fuel to critics of the Iraq war, both in the United States and abroad, who contend that the enormous Iraqi oil reserves were a motivation for the American-led invasion-- an assertion the administration has repeatedly denied.

Iraq’s oil minister, Hussain al-Shahristani, has condemned the Kurdistan deal as illegal because it was not approved by Iraq’s central government and was struck without an oil law, which has still not been passed.

Jesse Lee in Speaker Pelosi's office has the inside scoop from Chairman Waxman's perspective-- and it's not a pretty picture. In fact, its a damning one that pretty much confirms what most Americans have long suspected-- we went to war, sacrificed so much in terms of blood and treasure-- so that a small handful of Bush cronies could get even richer (and keep funding Republican Party (and Blue Dog) politics.