"pacplyer" wrote in message
om...
(Steven P. McNicoll) wrote in message
om...
(pacplyer) wrote in message
. com...

What dumb comments! We import 80% of all our oil from Saudi Arabia.


No, we do not. Since 60% of all our oil is imported, it's obvious
that we do not import 80% of all our oil from Saudi Arabia.

I meant to say: We import 80% of all our *gulf* oil from from Saudi
Arabia. But even that figure fluctuates yearly. So, my statistical
error. Would you agree that pre-war Iraq produced less than 10% of
U.S. imported oil? Post-war it is minimal so far. I doubt the output
has been restored to any comprable pre-war level. My point was that
stealing oil from Iraq was not a motive for the invasion.

Iraqi oil production was minimal because of the sanctions and if any oil did
make its way to the US it would have probably been a mistake. The only oil
that was allowed to be exported was for humanitarian supplies. Therefore US
imports of oil from Iraq were zero before the war. Because Iraqi oil
production has been held back for 14 odd years the Iraqis have some of the
biggest oil reserves known.
So going to war to steal Iraq's oil is not an unreasonable assumption. It is
not just a matter of current production it is about access to future
production and the control of the reserves.
Its of no consequence to the US whether the Iraqi oil production is high or
low at the moment as their is a glut of oil. In fact I suspect that the US
is happy for it to take some time before Iraqi oil production is up to pre
Gulf War I levels. Its like keeping money in the bank.

Mind you some Iraqi people might like to see production and exports rise and
try and get living standards back to what they used to be.