Think Progress

Billions in oil missing in Iraq.

By Nico Pitney on May 12th, 2007 at 10:41 am

Billions in oil missing in Iraq.

“Between 100,000 and 300,000 barrels a day of Iraq’s declared oil production over the past four years is unaccounted for and could have been siphoned off through corruption or smuggling, according to a draft American government report. Using an average of $50 a barrel, the report said the discrepancy was valued at $5 million to $15 million daily.”



71 Responses to “Billions in oil missing in Iraq.”

  1. George says:

    Sure glad we took care of all the corruption in the UN-run oil-for-food program.


  2. Kilo says:

    That was news a couple of years ago. In fact the amounts were larger from memory.


  3. stopthecons says:

    and people wonder why they hate us? We invade countries, kill innocent people, damage infrastructure, and resources go “missing”

    we’re hated because we act like an aggressive empire.

    Some reading:

    “Why do they Hate us so Much?”
    http://www.populistamerica.com/why_do_they_hate_us_so_much


  4. Jay says:

    You don’t say.

    Wonder if born-again George knows the one about “thou shalt not steal”…..or kill for that matter.

    Their day of reckoning will come, just not soon enough.


  5. gonzoknife says:

    I’m sure none of the missing oil made its way into the inventories of the oil companies. They’re all fine corporate entities with incredibly high ethics and morals…


  6. klyde says:

    There you go blaming the US again just because we… Oh wait nevermine.


  7. VerbalKint says:

    That was news a couple of years ago. In fact the amounts were larger from memory.
    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 10:46 am

    Kilo’s shameful reasoning is the ultimate in moral relativism. Just like a good Republican hypocrite. Hey, it ain’t bad, because is ain’t as bad as before! Our new crimes aren’t crimes because the old crimes were so much worse!

    Moral bankruptcy on display.


  8. pgw says:

    somewhere, condi’s crying


  9. Mistress Z says:

    “Why do they Hate us so Much?”
    Comment by stopthecons

    My question is — Why don’t they hate us more?


  10. Bob says:

    Operation Iraqi Liberation


  11. Tobey Tall says:

    the missing Oil is being used to fund the Insurgency that is stopping the occupying forces from stealing the same oil

    its a bit like re- investing money from your business into the business


  12. katy says:

    may be a bit off tipic, but wanted to post this link…
    found via an op-ed by charley reese, one of a very few righties that i can appreciate… but then charley seems to be a TRUE conservative, definetely not a neoCON…

    he recommended this, from asia times:

    ROVING IN THE RED ZONE
    ATol’s “Roving Eye”, Pepe Escobar, is back in Iraq and in the Red Zone – that is, outside “Fortress USA”, the Green Zone. This is the first of his unembedded, non-Kevlar-protected, bodyguardless reports.
    Baghdad up close and personal
    By Pepe Escobar
    http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/IE02Ak01.html

    i haven’t been able to read it yet myself… hope it’s worthwhile…

    off to the lawn and garden and errands
    g’day!


  13. Tim O says:

    Check with Chevron. Business as usual.


  14. VerbalKint says:

    Anyone notice how there isn’t anything about this corrupt administration Kilo won’t defend? He was here yesterday defending Richard Perle of all things. Now he is defending mass incompetence and corruption. Good luck with that, buddy.


  15. Scott says:

    check dick cheney’s house… i think he’s using it as bathwater


  16. McFly says:

    I bet Darth Cheney knows what happened to it.


  17. Kilo says:

    Kilo’s shameful reasoning is the ultimate in moral relativism. Just like a good Republican hypocrite. Hey, it ain’t bad, because is ain’t as bad as before! Our new crimes aren’t crimes because the old crimes were so much worse!
    Moral bankruptcy on display.
    Comment by VerbalKint — May 12, 2007 @ 11:04 am

    No, what’s on display is me giving enough of a shit about this to read about this every time it made the news before now.

    BTW, I wasn’t saying it’s not bad because it’s not as bad as before, I’m saying those estimates are a lot more conservative than previous ones despite the fact that security for contractors has decreased since.

    That’s clearly something a Republican would point out right ? That the situation in Iraq is worth than the lefties claim ?

    Here’s a followup question, when the fk are you going to make a correct assumption about me retard ? You’re like 0 from 7 so far. Just keep swinging and missing.


  18. Kate Henry says:

    surprise…surprise…surprise. How would have thunk it. An interesting note is that the full article mentions the fact that Iraq’s entire economy is based on oil revenues. And we want to see them rebuild their country after we destroyed it…on 30% of their own oil profits. Because that is what will happen if the Iraqi parliament passes the bill that the Bushies are pushing, giving US and British oil companies 70% of Iraq’s oil profits for 30 years. And it will be the US oil companies who would make the profits. None of it would go to the US. So, we invaded a country, totally destroyed their infrastructure, killed 500,000+ of their citizens and 3,400 of our service people so that the US oil companies can not only make obscene profits off of us, but also off of Iraq. And the Republics support this. Shame on you Republics. You have no conscience and you have no soul.


  19. Kilo says:

    Anyone notice how there isn’t anything about this corrupt administration Kilo won’t defend?

    Are you pretending to be this retarded ?
    What have I defended about any corrupt administration ? Ever ? Anywhere ?

    This post says theres up to 300k barrels a day being smuggled in Iraq. I’ve pointed out that at least a year ago the figure was 5m in a group of nations where Iraq was the worst. They sure as shit were accounting for more than one-fifteenth of the total.

    WTF has that got to do with any administration you pathetic attempt at intelligence ?

    He was here yesterday defending Richard Perle of all things. Now he is defending mass incompetence and corruption. Good luck with that, buddy.
    Comment by VerbalKint — May 12, 2007 @ 11:18 am

    No, I wasn’t. Go back and read what I wrote if you didn’t understand it the first time.
    0 from 10. Good luck with that record pal.


  20. TSop says:

    This story just about sums up the reason that Bushco sent our sons and daughters to die.


  21. Kilo says:

    and people wonder why they hate us? We invade countries, kill innocent people, damage infrastructure, and resources go “missing”
    Comment by stopthecons — May 12, 2007 @ 10:49 am

    Well “they” don’t hate you because of the smuggling. They’re quite happy with it. They’re the ones doing it and it provides them with unlimited funding and the access provides them with more political power than elections ever could.


  22. Jimbo DUDE says:

    WE ARE DEALING WITH HIGH CLASS SWINDLERS…………

    CRIMINALS
    HOODLUMS
    FAST TALKING
    SMOOTH TALKING
    LIARS (LIKE LOBBYISTS REFORM)
    LAWBREAKERS
    SWINDLERS

    BASICALLY A BUNCH OF POLITICAL PARASITES THAT JUST LOVE TO LEECH

    SURE, IT’S CORRUPT AS HELL

    LITERALLY A BUNCH OF SLICK ATTORNEY’S THAT ARE A BUNCH OF LAND
    DEALERS, OIL DEALERS

    AND TO THINK THEY ARE SUPPOSE TO HAVE THE ROCK SOLID INTEGRITY
    APPOINTED BY GOD HIMSELF

    A
    BUNCH
    OF
    SWINDLERS, POLITICAL PARASITES

    L
    E
    E
    C
    H
    E
    S

    ENOUGHT TO MAKE EVERYONE DOG GONE P**E

    THEM OUT OF OFFICE

    BUT YOU CAN’T DUDE…..

    THE SYSTEM IS RIGGED MAN RIGGED


  23. Briseadh na Faire says:

    ok, here’s the math, using the current figures of $5 – 15 million/day. The mid-point is $10 million. So, taking the $10 million/day, times 365 days, times 4 years, and you have a theft in the neighborhood of $14,600,000,000.

    And Kilo tells us these figures are lower than those reported a couple of years ago. Plus, oil is now around $70/barrel now, so the dollar amount is likely to be much higher.

    Before Bush’s war, we were told Iraqi Oil money could be used for reconstruction costs, so this war would not cost the American Taxpayer anything. Well, it’s costing the American taxpayer plenty. We’re borrowing $2 BILLION PER WEEK. That means a total cost of $4 billion per week, when you factor in interest on the loans. (and this does not include the cost of equipment we’re not replacing, nor the cost of long-term medical care for our injured vets.)

    The amount that has been stolen would have paid for about 2 months worth of Bush’s War. It works out to about a week and a half out of each year of our occupation.

    And yes, as Toby Tall points out, this money could be being used to kill and maim our women and men.


  24. Kilo says:

    surprise…surprise…surprise. How would have thunk it. An interesting note is that the full article mentions the fact that Iraq’s entire economy is based on oil revenues.
    Comment by Kate Henry — May 12, 2007 @ 11:37 am

    None of that is a suprise, nor interesting, nor something you should tell people you learned today.
    Again, what have you ever read about Iraq if not this ?

    An interesting point about my post is knowing this before May 2007 makes me a Republican. Also interesting is how you lot ever laid claim to the “reality based community”.


  25. Wayne says:

    Look for the missing oil in the same the missing $9 Billion went.


  26. Briseadh na Faire says:

    Comment by Kate Henry — May 12, 2007 @ 11:37 am

    well put.


  27. Namtillaku says:

    Who are ‘they’ Kilo? In your quote, the ‘they’ being referred to are the Iraqi people – I kind of doubt that the general populace is responsible. If you’re making an argument that it is the militia who are taking it fine, they have some resources to be able to manage it.

    Personally, I believe it’s us – or better yet, Halliburton. They have the means, the motive, and they been caught doing this type of thing already.


  28. Kilo says:

    And Kilo tells us these figures are lower than those reported a couple of years ago. Plus, oil is now around $70/barrel now, so the dollar amount is likely to be much higher.
    Comment by Briseadh na Faire — May 12, 2007 @ 11:50 am

    The 5m barrels figure was a global total for oil being smuggled by guerrilla groups and criminals. It included similar militant situations in Nigeria and central asia and criminal operations in Russia, etc.

    The point being missed here is that this is being done by insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates in Iraq. Once you realise the level of access to critical infrastructure required to even access that much oil per day let alone intercept it, you might appreciate what that means in terms of power.

    Unless you’re betting on a bomb shortage in Iraq anytime soon you’ll realise that the unhapy nationalists and persecuted minority groups now have the ability to wipe out the govenrment’s revenue no matter who holds the contracts or how it is split and boost world oil prices up $100 a barrel.

    5m barrels per day is more than twice Saudi Arabia’s swing output if you weren’t aware.


  29. GSD says:

    Check Dick Cheney’s colostomy bag. I hear there’s millions hidden in there.

    -GSD


  30. Briseadh na Faire says:

    The point being missed here is that this is being done by insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates in Iraq. Once you realise the level of access to critical infrastructure required to even access that much oil per day let alone intercept it, you might appreciate what that means in terms of power.

    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 12:04 pm

    Hmmm….you have access to information to prove this is not being done by US Contractors? Or is that whom you define as “‘friendly’ associates in Iraq.”?


  31. Briseadh na Faire says:

    12 – Kate,

    Thank you for the link. Powerful stuff.

    I stand corrected. Genocide is already well underway.


  32. VerbalKint says:

    Okay, Kilo, so you weren’t defending Perle. You were just criticizing everyone who criticizes Perle. And you aren’t defending corruption and incompetence, either, just criticizing everyone who dares to suggest that the Bush administration might in any way be responsible. My bad for not understanding these critical differences.


  33. VerbalKint says:

    And Kilo, by now you should know that trolls need a thick skin to hang out here for long.


  34. Namtillaku says:

    My bad for not understanding these critical differences.

    Comment by VerbalKint — May 12, 2007 @ 12:22 pm

    Ding – we have a winner. Kilo, one thing I’m never going to understand about the 28%’ers in this country (are YOU one of them), is that this administration doesn’t care about you – not one bit. There are very, very few people in this country who are benefiting; big oil, big corporations, and those who want to live in a fascist state.

    Keep those blinders on, one of these years those like BushCo will suceed, and you will be an integral part of it.


  35. Kilo says:

    Hmmm….you have access to information to prove this is not being done by US Contractors?

    That looks as stupid as asking someone to prove that insurgents aren’t the ones flying blackhawk helicopters over Iraq.

    Not first coming up with any scenario where this would even be a possibility let alone a likely one.Not bothering to read any account of this occurring to see who has been found to be is involved. Just cut straight to wanting proof that it’s not someone who just popped into your head for no other reason than they are the only player you know.

    Why not just tell yourself it’s Halliburton ? Why pretend that you want to be informed before coming to such an opinion if you are asking for proof before you will discard such an opinion you formed without any information.

    Or is that whom you define as “‘friendly’ associates in Iraq.”?
    Comment by Briseadh na Faire — May 12, 2007 @ 12:15 pm

    No I refer to friendly associates in Iraq as criminal operations that care about cash and not political affiliations. Not aligned with insurgent groups, but not opposed to them.


  36. Namtillaku says:

    Why not just tell yourself it’s Halliburton ? Why pretend that you want to be informed before coming to such an opinion if you are asking for proof before you will discard such an opinion you formed without any information.

    Kilo – Halliburton has already had to pay fines due to corruption in Iraq – that’s a fact. Produce some facts about how the insurgency is behind this.


  37. Kilo says:

    Okay, so you weren’t defending Perle. You were just criticizing everyone who criticizes Perle.

    No I was criticising those who are still pretending that after 18 months of being told OBL was behind 9/11 and that Iraq was up to every evil thing execept being behind 9/11, that yet another person who didn’t claim this was the problem.

    There’s 6 billion people who didn’t say Saddam was behind 9/11. Theres 1 person to blame for you believing this and it ain’t Perle.

    And you aren’t defending corruption and incompetence, either, just criticizing everyone who dares to suggest that the Bush administration might in any way be responsible.

    Responsible for what criminals and insurgents and militias do in Iraq with their own resources ? Fkn A I am..

    My bad for not understanding these critical differences.
    Comment by VerbalKint — May 12, 2007 @

    We discussed that already. You’re retarded. You have an inherent inability to learn.

    And Kilo, by now you should know that trolls need a thick skin to hang out here for long.
    Comment by VerbalKint — May 12, 2007 @ 12:23 pm

    Well I’ve been here for months and you’re the one getting your arse handed to you. So I’m not sure how this is applicable.


  38. 1970cs says:

    This report says 100,000 to 300,000 barrels a day are missing. One barrel is 55 gallons. A standard gas tanker truck in the U.S. holds 9,000 gallons.

    100,000 barrrels a day would be 611 tractor trailer loads a day
    300,000 barrels a day would be 1,833 tractor tarailer loads a day.

    This would indicate it’s not all moving by truck.


  39. Briseadh na Faire says:

    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 12:32 pm

    How is it you attack my statement, when you were the one who made this assertion of fact:

    The point being missed here is that this is being done by insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates in Iraq.

    You asserted as fact that U.S. Contractors (read, War Profiteers) have nothing to do with the missing oil. I merely asked if you had proof. Instead of providing proof to back up your assertion of fact, you derided my question.

    Until you come up with proof to support your assertions of fact, you will come across as one who blindly follows and supports a dictator, and spews talking points as opposed to one who engages in reasoned debate.


  40. kevkev says:

    BartCop has been talking about this for years.
    He has a great Graphic about the Bush Crime Family
    and links and stats on this theft.


  41. barfly says:

    From the article:

    Crude oil is much more difficult to smuggle because it must be shipped to refineries and turned into the more valuable refined products before it can be sold on the market.

    Kilo says it’s insurgents, other posters say it’s Halliburton, or some other American entity. Why can’t it be both? The crude has to be taken somewhere for refining, and it would be difficult to accomplish without collusion with some Big Oil firm(s).


  42. troll alert says:

  43. Kilo says:

    Kilo – Halliburton has already had to pay fines due to corruption in Iraq – that’s a fact. Produce some facts about how the insurgency is behind this.
    Comment by Namtillaku — May 12, 2007 @ 12:37 pm

    Halliburton has been fined for overcharging and under-delivering on things they were contracted to do by the military.
    How would see this even relating to this ?

    Forget the fact that this has already been reported on over years with far more detail of what is going on. Forget the fact that Halliburton is a multi-national who has no incentive and would see less money smuggling cheap oil in pissweak quantities than in massive volumes via legit channels. Just try thinking through the logistics here.

    Corrupt Iraqi officials and criminal networks operating in the Iraqi oil infrastructure have been smuggling oil for decades. The situation is now that that non-state militias and gangs control not only some of the politicians allowing this and their departments, but also work in these industries, control the roads, ports and borders needed to smuggle this.

    On the other hand, Halliburton got fined for overcharging the mililtary for supplies and under-delivering on water purification or whatever.
    Describe the power shift you see that legal paperwork resulting in visa vi control of oil smuggling networks in Iraq. Please.

    You know I heard they were going to remake Scarface. Maybe this time instead of begging Tony Montana for his life, that white guy will just show him a parking ticket and Tony will hand back control of his cocaine empire because that would be a far more plausible option for a wildly successful criminal enterprise.
    That bit in the first movie where he just shoots him and moves on is soooo far fetched.


  44. Briseadh na Faire says:

    This would indicate it’s not all moving by truck.

    Comment by 1970cs — May 12, 2007 @ 12:47 pm

    Perhaps by the S.S. Condoleeza Rice?

    http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2001/05/05/MN223743.DTL&type=printable


  45. Kilo says:

    I merely asked if you had proof. Instead of providing proof to back up your assertion of fact, you derided my question.

    Until you come up with proof to support your assertions of fact, you will come across as one who blindly follows and supports a dictator, and spews talking points as opposed to one who engages in reasoned debate.

    No, I’ll be the guy who already pointed out that if what you wanted was informed discussion you would have informed yourself.
    Clearly you haven’t bothered to read anything about this topic as it isn’t possible to read anything about it without knowing what I have said here.

    Instead you’ve decided that crime in Iraq = Halliburton and you’re pissy about the fact that I’ve laughed about how dumb and fantasy-based this is.
    That situation isn’t going to change and apparently you don’t want it to. No skin off my back.


  46. Kilo says:

    Kilo says it’s insurgents, other posters say it’s Halliburton, or some other American entity.

    No, not Kilo. Every report from inside and outside Iraq says it’s criminal networks now influenced by insurgents control over personnel and routes.

    TP readers say it’s Halliburton based on nothing other than a need to blame Halliburton and a tendency towards conspiracy theories.

    Why can’t it be both?

    Which leads to this reasoned conclusion.

    The crude has to be taken somewhere for refining, and it would be difficult to accomplish without collusion with some Big Oil firm(s).
    Comment by barfly — May 12, 2007 @ 1:04 pm

    Actually it doesn’t have to be taken anywhere nor does there need to be collusion by a big oil firm (especially one who isn’t involved in this oil AFAIK).

    Try finding a news report on the topic that doesn’t tell you who’s involved and what is involved.
    http://www.google.com/search?q=iraq+oil+smuggling+-un

    Or just stick with Kilo says, someone else says, OMG what proof is there it’s not Halliburton. Sure it’s not as reality based, but there’s far less reading and learning involved.


  47. Jay Randal says:

    The Oil meters that measure the crude at the pipeline terminals were purposely damaged by the US military at the beginning of the Iraq war. They have not been repaired, so millions of barrels of Oil have been stolen by the Petroleum Cartel companies. It is the perfect crime, because Iraq’s stooge government has no idea what is going on.


  48. Tobey Tall says:

    Iraqi Oil Workers address US Congress

    http://www.priceofoil.org/

    Just as the New York Times reports on billions in missing Iraqi Oil, Hasan Jum’a Awwad, Head of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions, has urged Congress “not to link withdrawal with the oil law”:

    Open Letter to: The Members of the US Congress who Oppose the War on Iraq [and] Members of the European Parliaments who Oppose the War

    Peace be upon you and greetings to you all,

    We wish to clarify certain matters relating to events in Iraq for our friends among the members of the US Congress. It is common knowledge that the occupation spared neither the old nor the young, and that Iraq is passing through the most difficult of times because all and sundry are hounding it and covet a share of its riches. We see no good reason for linking the passing of the feeble Iraqi oil law to the withdrawal of the occupation troops from Iraq.

    Everyone knows that the oil law does not serve the Iraqi people, and that it serves Bush, his supporters and the foreign companies at the expense of the Iraqi people who have been wronged and deprived of their right to their oil despite enduring all difficulties.

    We ask our friends not to link withdrawal with the oil law, especially since the USA claimed that it came to Iraq as a liberator and not in order to control Iraq’s resources.

    The general public in Iraq is totally convinced that Bush wants to rush the promulgation of the oil law so as to be leaving Iraq with a victory of sorts, because his project is failing every day and the occupation is collapsing in all parts of Iraq.

    We wish to see you take a true stance for the children of Iraq, and we always say that history will remember those who advance peace over war.

    With my regards,

    Hassan Jum’a Awwad
    Head of the Iraqi Federation of Oil Unions


  49. Kilo says:

    The Oil meters that measure the crude at the pipeline terminals were purposely damaged by the US military at the beginning of the Iraq war. They have not been repaired, so millions of barrels of Oil have been stolen by the Petroleum Cartel companies. It is the perfect crime, because Iraq’s stooge government has no idea what is going on.
    Comment by Jay Randal — May 12, 2007 @ 1:58 pm

    Perfect except for a few minor hiccups:
    1. They weren’t damaged by the invading forces, that’s just a lie you made up in order to place blame where you want to. Very popular around here.

    The meters weren’t destroyed, they were non-existant, outdated and degraded like everything else in Iraq or working ones were switched off.
    Even the war profiteering watchdog groups — who do nothing other than report on Halliburton etc — said this when they reported on these meters and accounts of what damage they had suffered all the way back to the Iran-Iraq war. Gulf war I damage got a mention, not Gulf war II.

    2. The Iraqi stooge government who has no idea what’s going on is who’s selling the stuff in Iran, as per the many and varied concurring accounts of who’s over there selling it.

    3. That’s the entire perfect crime shot to shit, including who’s crime it was and who it’s perfect for.


  50. Juan C says:

    Well, you know what? Im convinced. Kilo just convinced me.

    Some underground, very powerful groups are behing all this. I mean, this should be obvious. It is not like the invading forces seized the FREAKING OIL MINISTRY when they first entered Baghdad. Nevermind that.


  51. Alejandro says:

    http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2007/05/12/1151/

    Iraq Funding Bill Too Oily

    A new measure to fund the Iraq war has run into opposition from congressional Democrats who say it does not offer enough provisions to keep the United States away from Iraq’s oil.

    “We have to be concerned that the oil in Iraq belongs to the Iraqi people,” said Rep. Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif. “It’s absolutely that simple.”


  52. Alejandro says:

    #49 – Saddam never used meters, especially after the first Gulf War. Unmetered oil was very nice to Saddam and anyone who participated in the oil-for-food scam.


  53. Alejandro says:

    http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=14427

    Mystery of the Missing Meters:
    Accounting for Iraq’s Oil Revenue

    Halliburton and Parsons have long histories in Iraq, going back more than 40 years. Brown & Root, which is now part of Halliburton , began work in Iraq in 1961, while Parsons dipped into Iraq’s oil sector in the 1950s. Foster Wheeler dates its work in Iraq to the 1930s.

    These companies have a lot of experience at the terminals where the black market now thrives. Indeed, Halliburton built the ABOT terminal, then known as Mina al-Bakr, in the early1970s. After it was damaged during the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, Halliburton repaired the terminal, before it was bombed yet again during the 1991 Persian Gulf War.


  54. big papa says:

    Who has the equipment/operational capacity to undertake such huge theft?

    …Halliburton, Exxon-Mobil Shell and the Bushites?

    …The Iraqi Oil minister- Ahmed Chalabi and his cronies?

    …Iran, China, and Russia?

    INVESTIGATE
    IMPEACH
    INCARCERATE
    IMPOUND

    I want my fu*king money!


  55. TheHeathen says:

    Do you think the bag-lady and bag-man (aka condi and dickie-boy) have been collecting their “royalties” while on recent trips to the middle east?
    Wonder what’s in their luggage?


  56. big papa says:

    Wonder what’s in their luggage?

    Comment by TheHeathen #55

    …they certainly don’t go through Customs…

    …but they can’t POSSIBLY carry such gargantuan amounts…

    …in personal luggage…

    …check the Swiss and Cayman Islands accounts…


  57. Kilo says:

    It is not like the invading forces seized the FREAKING OIL MINISTRY when they first entered Baghdad. Nevermind that.
    Comment by Juan C — May 12, 2007 @ 3:12 pm

    This would be the oil ministry where the oil is made ?
    Just nothin going on in that head of yours is there. You either can’t read what’s written or you understand none of it.


  58. TSop says:

    Paul “Holes in My Socks” Wolfowitz said that their oil would pay for this Imperial Adventure! Then he gives his goomare at the World Bank a big fucking raise – what a set of balls on this guy! And he got caught and doesn’t wan’t to quit! We are in this already for a half a trillion! They are trying to break this Nation down! Bankrupt – and they are laughing all the way to the bank! In the name of Democracy! It’s always been about THIEVERY! That’s it…plain and simple. Greedy Fuckers.


  59. Juan C says:

    This would be the oil ministry where the oil is made ?

    I guess there is light in that head of yours…but nobody is home.


  60. Kilo says:

    Hey I’m not the one referring to posting guards outside the oil ministry in March 2003 as meaning something in relation to control over the rest of Iraq and every Iraqi ever since.

    Ever watch the movie Casino ?
    I bet you were wondering why when the cops wanted to get rid of all the mafia from Vegas they just didn’t go down and stand outside the gaming control board offices. Problem solved. Complete control over Vegas, everyone operating and gambling there secured. Right ?


  61. Kilo says:

    You’re the one talking about the US military putting guards outside a building in March 2003 as somehow translating to assuming complete control over the entire oil industry and it’s rampant smuggling operations throughout Iraq ever since.

    Either all the oil is made in that one building or you look like a gullible idiot. And apparently it isn’t the first option.


  62. Kilo says:

    BTW, have any of you bothered to read enough about oil smuggling in Iraq yet to have found out that the US invading, taking control of the FREAKING OIL MINISTRY and the 4 years of occupation since has resulted in a decrease in the amount of oil being smuggled from pre-war levels ?

    Happy giving credit to Halliburton with curbing this theft or are we at a point where we can accept that Iraqis don’t need any assistance in this ?
    Juan, your thoughts ?


  63. Briseadh na Faire says:

    Kilo, if YOU make an assetion of fact, IT IS UP TO YOU TO SUPPORT IT. It’s not up to me or anyone else to do research to debunk an unsupported argument. An unsupported argument, like the one you made and refused to support is nothing but BS.

    Now, you’ve done your job for the day, go and kiss your fuhrer’s a$$ like a good loyal bushie.


  64. Kilo says:

    Kilo, if YOU make an assetion of fact, IT IS UP TO YOU TO SUPPORT IT. It’s not up to me or anyone else to do research to debunk an unsupported argument. An unsupported argument, like the one you made and refused to support is nothing but BS.

    Now, you’ve done your job for the day, go and kiss your fuhrer’s a$$ like a good loyal bushie.

    Comment by Briseadh na Faire — May 13, 2007 @ 2:23 am

    Retard, I posted you a link to all news reports featuring the words Iraq and Oil smuggling. Here it is again:
    http://www.google.com/search?q=iraq+oil+smuggling+-un

    All of them support what I’m saying, none of them support what you are saying.
    The NYT article TP links to here supports what I’m saying, not what you’re saying.
    The previous 4 page NYT article on the same topic, high in those search results supports what I’m saying, not what you’re saying.

    This is an unsupported claim in the same way “the US led the iraq invasion” is. Something which *any* report you choose to read on the topic will tell you.

    You choose to read none of them and call it unsupported BS. This effects your credibility, not mine. WTF do I care if you have no interest in changing this state of affairs ?

    BTW, reading the source article a blog entry refers to and links to is now “research” ?
    When you walk through doors marked “Push” do you count those as books you’ve read ?


  65. Kilo says:

    Now, you’ve done your job for the day, go and kiss your fuhrer’s a$$ like a good loyal bushie.
    Comment by Briseadh na Faire — May 13, 2007 @ 2:23 am

    Just to recap…

    1. TP posts a summary of a NYT article on oil smuggling in Iraq.

    2. TPs readers decide that people who read that NYT article and refer to its contents are nazis and Bush asskissers.

    Do you idiots not like having comments switched on here or something ?
    WTF do you think the upside is to allowing TP readers to discredit TP like this with your ignorant batshit insane conspiracy theories ?
    Who do you think they regard as the trolls here ?


  66. Briseadh na Faire says:

    The point being missed here is that this is being done by insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates in Iraq.
    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 12:04 pm

    No I refer to friendly associates in Iraq as criminal operations that care about cash and not political affiliations. Not aligned with insurgent groups, but not opposed to them.

    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 12:32 pm

    Until you come up with proof to support your assertions of fact, you will come across as one who blindly follows and supports a dictator, and spews talking points as opposed to one who engages in reasoned debate.

    Comment by Briseadh na Faire — May 12, 2007 @ 12:52 pm

    Finally, instead of providing proof that U.S. Corporations were not involved, he provides a google search. The foremost articles thus produced all cite the same report.

    http://www.google.com/ search?q=iraq+oil+smuggling+-un

    Or just stick with Kilo says, someone else says, OMG what proof is there it’s not Halliburton. Sure it’s not as reality based, but there’s far less reading and learning involved.

    Comment by Kilo — May 12, 2007 @ 1:30 pm

    From one of the articles:

    The report did not make a final conclusion on what happened to the missing oil, and provided alternative explanations besides corruption or smuggling, including possible Iraqi overstating of its production.

    Analysts outside the government said such a large discrepancy indicated that there was either a major smuggling operation in place or that Iraq was not generating accurate production figures,
    the newspaper added.

    Yet Kilo saw fit to blame “insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates.”

    Could private contractors be involved? Judge for yourselves:

    When unidentified saboteurs struck the vital Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline in northern Iraq recently, one in a number of recent attacks on the Middle Eastern nation’s oil production and transport, the United States government announced that a company called Erinys would be brought in to train 6,500 Iraqis to guard oil pipelines, wellheads, and refineries, as well as water and electrical facilities.

    “We are deploying Iraqi resources to protect the facilities and the military will continue to hunt down those trying to attack Iraq’s interests,” said a coalition spokesman.

    Erinys’ yearlong $39.5 million contract to protect 140 Iraqi oil installations, for which it beat out larger and more established competitors, will start this October. The Johannesburg-based company will be also offering its protection services to contractors Bechtel and Halliburton ’s subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root.

    According to Erinys’ own publicity, the company is currently the exclusive providers of “guarding and protective services, secure warehousing, security escorts, visit logistics and protective escorts, transportation and logistics for land access from neighbouring countries.”

    But the coalition’s relationship with Erinys is not exactly transparent. The coalition apparently contracted the company through an “oil security” solicitation issued on July 17, but the details of this solicitation, and the subsequent award to Erinys, are unavailable from the Coalition Provisional Authority (the entity created by the United States government to oversee the occupation of the country).

    While the company does not appear in international business directories and is only a year old, its website names five managers and directors, but does not identify its ownership structure: most of whom have been affiliated with Armor Holdings, a Florida-based security company and Defence Systems Limited, a British company which merged with Armor in 1997. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=8328

    In other words, theft of Iraqi oil may simply be officials overreporting production at the pump heads. It may be corrupt government officials. It may be smuggling at the tankers. It may be insurgents. Or it may even be private contractors hired to guard the industry.

    To point fingers at one group only reminds me of the days immediately after 9/11. Bush said we didn’t need to investigate. We knew who was responsible. Or was it only that he knew whom to scapegoate?


  67. lunacy says:

    Do you really think it is ‘missing’? Ummmm, I bet a lot of people in this administration would ‘not recall’ knowing anything about this.


  68. Briseadh na Faire says:

    Comment by lunacy — May 13, 2007 @ 10:25 am

    For all we know, it could just be over-reporting production at the well heads.

    What bothered me was when someone conclusively stated that the alleged thefts were by insurgents. It’s a form of trial by media. Yet the person objected mightily when I pointed out his bias.


  69. Kilo says:

    Finally, instead of providing proof that U.S. Corporations were not involved, he provides a google search. The foremost articles thus produced all cite the same report.
    http://www.google.com/search?q=iraq+oil+smuggling+-un

    And you even manage to fk up clicking a link.
    These are the first 3 results for that google search…
    http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/06/04/...
    http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/apr2005/...
    http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/12...

    Yes, they’re all quoting this weeks report, over the past 3 years.
    What proof do I have they were not predicting the future back in 2005 you say ?
    What proof is there that those links can be clicked and lead to real news stories ?

    These mysteries and more revealed next week on When Conspiracy Theorist Retards Meet The Internet.


  70. Kilo says:

    Yet Kilo saw fit to blame “insurgent groups and ‘friendly’ associates.”

    No, I’ve blamed those known to be participating in oil smuggling as per the reports of everyone inside and outside Iraq who’s investigated it. Those are criminal networks that are connected both to politicians and insurgent groups.

    Could private contractors be involved? Judge for yourselves:

    You on the other hand have gone through the archives of a watchdog group for war profiteers and the best you could find is an article about 1 company which doesn’t even state they are participating in oil smuggling.

    Unlike the criminal networks incorporating insurgents and Iraqi politicians which are known to be involved.
    Yeah keep wondering why I “see fit to blame” those known to be involved as opposed to those not known to be involved.

    BTW, way to go reading articles about oil smuggling while pretending you can’t find any that mention who’s doing it. Then coming here and talking about my bias. LMAO.


  71. casey shelley says:

    I belive the NYT article bringing this to light was dated May 12, and this documentation was referred to as a “draft report” they (the NYT) had supposedly obtained. It went on to say this report “is expected to be released next week.”

    Was it ever released?



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