Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Bush Suggests Oil Trust 3 Years After Nixing Idea Himself

(AP) President Bush suggested an Alaska like oil trust to the new Iraqi Prime Minister during his surprise one on one visit to Baghdad. The trust would ensure all Iraqis have a stake in the country's oil revenues. Citizen's in Alaska have participated in their state's rich oil resources for decades.

Three years ago President Bush, as the Commander in Chief and employer of Paul Bremer of Iraq's Coalition Provisional Authority, nixed that very same idea. Instead he issued an Executive Order declaring Iraq's oil industry and any companies or persons working on its behalf to be above the law. No lawsuits could be brought against the oils for any reason.

When a democracy makes a rule of law that a whole industry is "above the law", is it still a democracy? When a President acts like he is offering a good idea to a new leader when he rejected that very same idea years before, is he being sincere? How might 3 years of Iraqis receiving oil revenue checks have changed behavior in that country?

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