Reason for the Iraqi war #132

Sometime after President Bush launched his crusade against Iraq, I saw (heard or read) something about the need to use Iraq, after the war, as a staging area for our troops in the Middle East. In other words, there was some discussion about leaving military bases in Iraq after the war was over so that we could threaten other nations, launch offensives against other nations, protect our oil interests, etc. Then the idea got lost in other discussions of reasons for fighting the war - control of the oil, the spread of democracy, the subjugation of brown people, etc.

But now there is confirmation (for me) - that a major reason for this war is to provide the U.S. with military bases in an important part of the world.

From Bush Out (by Gandhi), quoting Jimmy Carter...

"I think we ought to decide as a nation that we will turn over as quickly as possible not only the military responsibilities to the Iraqi people but also let them manage their own economic affairs.

I don't think we have any idea now of turning over their oil supplies and let them handle who gets to manage the oil, like even France and Russia and I hope we'll back off and let them run their own political affairs.

But, what I believe is that there are people in Washington now, some of our top leaders, who never intend to withdraw military forces from Iraq and they're looking for ten, 20, 50 years in the future.... the reason that we went into Iraq was to establish a permanent military base in the Gulf region and I have never heard any of our leaders say that they would commit themselves to the Iraqi people that ten years from now there will be no military bases of the United States in Iraq.

I would like to hear that. But that's one of the things that concerns Iraqi people. And when I meet with Arab leaders around the world they all have noticed this."