-=> On 10-29-06 11:54 WAYNE CHIRNSIDE wrote to ALL <=-

 -=> GEORGE POPE wrote to ED HULETT <=-

 GP> On (29 Oct 06) Ed Hulett wrote to George Pope...
 EH>  WC>> What are we still doing in Iraq.
 EH>
 EH>  GP> Protecting/securing "American oil interests"!
 EH>
 EH> Since we get the majority of our foreign oil from Venezuela, how
 EH> exactly are we "protecting/securing our oil interests in Iraq?

 GP> You might have noted mine was a quote ("American oil
interests") and
 GP> rather asked who said such. . .

 GP> Obviously you've forgotten that it was your Congress who used that term
 GP> WRT being in Iraq!

 WC> Ed of course is once again wrong here.

 WC> Even during the tough economic sanctions designed to contain Saddam
 WC> Hussein's Iraq the U.S. was getting 37 percent of its domestic
 WC> oil needs from Iraq though it was purchased from foreign
 WC> vendors and not American oil companies.

Cite, please.  Your claim of 37% appears to be FALSE and _way_ off.

 WC> Of course with Republicans it sound bite over substance.

Please furnish some substance to support your above false factoid bite.

Here's one cite, for starters, which shows you to be incorrect - -
from Oil Industry Statistics from Gibson Consulting at
www.gravemag.com/oil.html
About 3/4 down the page, see where it says -

"NOTE ON IMPORTS FROM IRAQ:
"U.S. oil imports from Iraq have fluctuated greatly over the past 15
years.  In 1990, imports from Iraq accounted for about 6.4% of our
imports.  From 1991 to 1996, due to sanctions, Iraq provided NO exports
to the US.  In 1999 (average 6.7%) 2000 (5.4%) 2001 (6.7%) and 2002
(3.9%) yes, less than four percent).  Amounts varied a lot from month
to month.  More data at Energy Info. Administration" 

See just below there for a map with data dated November 2005, showing
Iraq at 5% of US oil imports. Note also that these are percents of US
imports, not percents of our domestic oil needs.

- - -  JimH.

... "All seems infected that the infected spy,
...  As all looks yellow to the jaundiced eye." - - Alexander Pope, 1711

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