But the war wasn't for oil!

WOLFOWITZ IN HIS OWN WORDS

Choice comments by the presumptive World Bank President compiled by Jim Vallette, Research Director, Sustainable Energy and Economy Network, Institute for Policy Studies

IRAQ AND OIL

“The fabulous -- and they are fabulous -- oil resources of Iraq are probably greater ultimately than Saudi Arabia , will be ultimately in the control of a Government of Free Iraq. I believe you will find the French and the Russians beating down the door to find those people, and to curry favor with them for the future.”

House National Security Committee testimony , September 16, 1998

Saddam Hussein’s “main supporters in the Security Council, France and Russia, I think could be expected to follow their commercial noses when they saw -- forgive the mixed metaphors -- which way the oil wind was blowing.”

House National Security Committee testimony , September 16, 1998

“If these efforts fail to bring an agreement from Saddam Hussein, then we escalate by striking the infrastructure to include roads, bridges, forts, and other choke points, the electrical grid, their oil refining capability – (and) then start taking out their oil wells...”

House National Security Committee testimony , September 16, 1998

Iraq has “got already, I believe, on the order of $15 billion to $20 billion a year in oil exports, which can finally -- might finally be turned to a good use instead of building Saddam's palaces. It has one of the most valuable undeveloped sources of natural resources in the world. And let me emphasize, if we liberate Iraq those resources will belong to the Iraqi people, that they will be able to develop them and borrow against them.”

Testimony to the U.S. House Budget Committee Feb. 27, 2003

“The oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three years. Now, there are a lot of claims on that money, but… We are dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction and relatively soon.”

Testimony to the U.S. House Appropriations Committee , March 27, 2003

“I would say that on the whole, things are happening in some respects faster than we expected. One of the most important ones is that we were able to get substantial control over the southern oil fields before Saddam Hussein was able to create the kind of environmental disaster that he was planning to do.”

Press briefing , March 28, 2003

“One of the keys to getting Iraq up and running as a country is to restore its primary source of revenue: its oil infrastructure. The resolution [1483] envisions the resumption of oil exports, and provides that revenues be deposited in the Development Fund for Iraq , with transparency provided by independent auditors and an international advisory board. Decisions regarding the long-term development of Iraq 's oil resources and its economy will be the responsibility of a stable Iraqi government. The United States is dedicated to ensuring that Iraq 's oil resources remain under Iraqi control. Iraq 's resources--including all of its oil--belong to all of Iraq 's people.”

Congressional testimony , May 22, 2003

“It is necessary for the protection of the essential security interests of the United States to limit competition for the prime contracts of these procurements to companies from the United States , Iraq , Coalition partners and force contributing nations. Thus, it is clearly in the public interest to limit prime contracts to companies from these countries.”

Order issued December 5, 2003

“The guidance states that the defense of Middle Eastern oil fields ‘ranks above South America and Africa in terms of global wartime priorities.’”

Draft “Defense Planning Guidance,” as cited in The Washington Post , Feb. 13, 1990

“Ultimately, the most important economic measure will be to make provision for the oil resources of liberated areas to be made available to support the resistance to Saddam Hussein.”

U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee testimony, March 25, 1998