The Project for A New American Century, founded in 1997 by Bush senior, Cheney, Wolfowitz, Libby, Rumsfeld, Bolton, Perle, and a few others have been the force behind the invasion in Iraq. Their number one goal was to remove Saddam Husssein and control oilheads to fund the entire enterprise. Their Pax Americana plan was to become the “Ultimate Superpower.” Back in July 2002 I remember Richard Perle (Pentagon defense policy chair) saying “Iraq is a very wealthy country. Enormous oil reserves. They can finance, largely finance the reconstruction of their own country. And I have no doubt that they will.” Where’s all the money Perle? Donald Rumsfeld, secretary of defense at the time stated, “When it comes to reconstruction, before we turn to the American taxpayer, we will turn first to the resources of the Iraqi government and international community.” Where’s the money Rummy?

Even Paul Wolfowitz, deputy secretary of defense testified on March 27, 2003, before the defense subcommittee stating, “There is a lot of money to pay for this that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayers money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people. We are talking about a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.” That was five years ago. You call that soon Wolfowitz?

Right now the occupation costs the American taxpayers 240 million dollars per hour, 720 million dollars per day. Most of which we do not have. Ultimately the cost in interest over the next generations will compound. Where’s all the money from the Iraqi oilheads they talked about?

Now we’re on to their second goal, “to fire a warning shot across the bows of every leader in the Middle East.” It’s peculiar days after Cheney visited the Middle East a Saudi newspaper warned of missle attacks. Is that the reason Admiral Fallon resigned? Maybe he knows all too well their third goal, “to establish in Iraq a military staging area for the eventual invasion and overthrow of several middle Eastern regimes, including some that are allies of the United States.” Their grand plan in September 2002 outlined the so called Axis of Evil. Hey, I remember hearing those same words out of G.W.’s mouth. When the Guiness Book of World Records prints their next book they can place the occupation of Iraq as the biggest CON job in American history. The only ultimate superpowers are the beneficiaries of this occupation … Haliburton, Brown and Root (Haliburton subsidiary) and the Carlyle Group. Meanwhile, essential social, medical, educational, and retirement services have been gutted to fund the military backup. Those very words were part of their grand plan. Oh yes, and a great many will die.

Mary Petry

Greenbank