George W. Bush reaffirms his position on Iraq: It was about the oil

In today's Federal Register (FR) the President released the following:

Notice of May 18, 2006—Continuation of the National Emergency Protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Other Property in Which Iraq has an Interest

In typical federal fashion the Notice is written in "lawyerspeak" and sounds as though it has been written in circles, but with careful parsing we can see what has been done. It is a confirmation that Bush's main concern about Iraq is the control and direction of oil money.

The Development Fund for Iraq [website] [wikipedia entry] came out of United Nations resolution 1483 which transferred the authority to authorize expenditures from Iraq's oil revenue from the United Nations to the Coalition Provisional Authority. The Coalition Provisional Authority was to administer this fund, on behalf of the Iraqi people. Since the transfer of sovereignty in June 2004, the Development Fund for Iraq has been managed by the Iraqi Transitional Government.

Audits of the Fund have found major abuses, fraud and that BILLIONS have gone missing.

Today's FR Notice extends for one year the "national emergency protecting the Development Fund for Iraq and certain other property in which Iraq has an interest," because of "the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the obstacles to the orderly reconstruction of Iraq, the restoration and maintenance of peace and security in the country, and the development of political, administrative, and economic institutions in Iraq constituted by the threat of attachment or other judicial process against the Development Fund for Iraq, Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof."

Bush knows that the Development Fund has been used to feed his greedy pals and there is a real threat, should the Iraqi people realize it, that Iraq could sue the bejeezus out of the US for swindling them out of billions.

Bush mentions seven (7) prior Executive Orders (EO) in this Notice. I will focus on three of them. Two of the three are blatant theft, and the last one voids any possible recourse against such theft.

March 20, 2003, EO 13290: Confiscating and Vesting Certain Iraqi Property

"All blocked funds held in the United States in accounts in the name of the Government of Iraq, the Central Bank of Iraq, Rafidain Bank, Rasheed Bank, or the State Organization for Marketing Oil are hereby confiscated and vested in the Department of the Treasury"

August 29, 2003, EO 13315: Blocking Property of the Former Iraqi Regime, Its Senior Officials and their Family Members, and Taking Certain Other Actions

"all property and interests in property of the former Iraqi regime or its state bodies, corporations, or agencies, or of the following persons, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons, are blocked and may not be transferred, paid, exported, withdrawn, or otherwise dealt in"

"The Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Secretary of State, is authorized to confiscate property that is blocked pursuant to section 1 of this order and that he determines, in consultation with the Secretary of State, to belong to a person, organization, or country that has planned, authorized, aided, or engaged in armed hostilities against the United States. All right, title, and interest in any property so confiscated shall vest in the Department of the Treasury. Such vested property shall promptly be transferred to the Development Fund for Iraq."

November 29, 2004, EO 13364: Modifying the Protection Granted to the Development Fund for Iraq and Certain Property in Which Iraq Has An Interest and Protecting the Central Bank of Iraq

"Section 1. (a) Except as provided in section 1(b) of this order, and unless licensed or otherwise authorized pursuant to this order, any attachment, judgment, decree, lien, execution, garnishment, or other judicial process is prohibited and shall be deemed null and void with respect to the following:
(i) the Development Fund for Iraq;
(ii) all Iraqi petroleum and petroleum products, and interests therein, but only until title passes to the initial purchaser, and proceeds, obligations, or any financial instruments of any nature whatsoever arising from or related to the sale or marketing thereof, and interests therein, in which any foreign country or a national thereof has any interest, that are in the United States, that hereafter come within the United States, or that are or hereafter come within the possession or control of United States persons; and
(iii) any accounts, assets, investments, or any other property of any kind owned by, belonging to, or held by the Central Bank of Iraq, or held, maintained, or otherwise controlled by any
financial institution of any kind in the name of, on behalf of, or otherwise for the Central Bank of Iraq.
(b) The prohibition in section 1(a) of this order shall not apply
with respect to any final judgment arising out of a contractual
obligation entered into by the Government of Iraq, including any
agency or instrumentality thereof, after June 30, 2004."

Amazing, isn't it????? The US will steal your money and oil, award no-bid contracts to political cronies, skim a little, remove any recourse you may have, generally screw you, then give you some of it back, but not before perpetuating the national emergency they started affording extra control over your money and oil...welcome to the new dawn where the lawmakers and those governing threaten you if you disagree, but then blatantly violate law and moral decency with bravado. Home, hope you like it. Vote in November!!!