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Politics

Aug 24, 2008

Even Obama needs more than Biden to make sense of Iraqi oil deals

Barack Obama’s approach to Iraq is strikingly similar to that of the Bush administration and John McCain. In theory, the addition of Joe Biden to Obama’s ticket could change this, but over the last weeks and months there have been interesting moves by Biden to remove most traces of his "Iraq plans" from the public […]

Aug 5, 2008

Iraq hoarding oil profits?

The soaring price of oil will leave the Iraqi government with a cumulative budget surplus of as much as $79 billion by year’s end an American federal oversight agency has concluded in an analysis released on Tuesday. The unspent windfall, writes James Glanz for The New York Times, from oil sales from 2005 through 2008, […]

Aug 3, 2008

Kucinich enters Iraqi oil fray

The Oil for Iraq Liberation bill, introduced by Congressman Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, will prevent U.S. based oil companies from development of and investment in petroleum resources of Iraq. "Recently we have seen evidence of a concerted effort to pressure the Iraqi government into privatizing Iraqi oil fields against the will of its citizens. We have […]

Jul 29, 2008

Neocon, Perle exploring Iraqi oil business

Influential former Pentagon official Richard Perle has been exploring going into the oil business in Iraq and Kazakhstan, write Susan Schmidt and Glenn R. Simpson for The Wall Street Journal. Perle, one of a group of security experts who began pushing the case for toppling Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein about a decade ago, has been […]

Jul 27, 2008

U.S. State Dept investigates Iraqi oil contracts

The State Department's inspector general is investigating Iraqi oil contracts after four Democratic senators complained that department employees may have encouraged lucrative oil deals between Iraq and several Western companies, Christine Simmons writes for the AP. Any backstage meddling would have violated Bush administration policy, which has been to discourage such deals until Baghdad passes […]

Jul 13, 2008

Iraqi oil sparks political sour note

Mr. President, said Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich., I am deeply concerned by the apparent lack of a clear and consistent U.S. policy on the entering into of oil deals in Iraq in the absence of Iraqi national hydrocarbon legislation. Unfortunately, that legislation, which would ensure equitable distribution of oil revenues among the Iraqi people and […]

Jun 30, 2008

Americans named participant in Iraq oil contracts with Big Oil

Plus: *Iraq announces five long-term oil field/two gas field contracts up for bid *Iraqi Kurdistan pans Baghdad’s moves *Iraq Parliament Oil & Gas Committee demands oversight *KRG explains oil deal breakdown The U.S. advisers tasked to Iraq’s Oil Ministry were involved to some extent in the negotiated contracts between Iraq and the major international oil […]

Jun 24, 2008

U.S. Congress calls on Bush to block or cancel Iraq oil deals

*Big Oil deals with Baghdad are the target *As are Hunt Oil and other KRG deals signed with U.S. firms *Plus, Iraq to establish Maysan oil company *And, Alive in Baghdad U.S. congressional leaders are pressing the Bush administration to block deals to be signed between the Iraqi federal government and the world's largest oil […]

May 1, 2008

U.S. Senate committee tags defense bill with Iraq reconstruction funds blockade…

Plus: *Iraqis react to Congress’ bluster that Iraq hasn’t paid enough for the war and occupation *Jordon stops Iraq crude shipments because of violence *Turkey, KRG rapprochement *Iraqi Shia leaders in Iran for militia talks *Iraq After The Surge for Sunnis *Much more… A Senate panel has agreed unanimously to block the Defense Department from […]