France wants to make money off post-war Iraq...

[Captain tycho]

I'm not at all suprised at this. The French are incredible hypocrites. Why we don't just tell them to go fuck themselves is beyond me.

We should, although there is a little thing called politics in the way.

[weemadando]

And if the US is already taken contracts for rebuilding, then I'm sorry, but this has become a war of CONQUEST, not a war for regime change.

Eh? Your point is eluding me.

Because the goal is no longer the "pure" regime change and destruction of WMDs that they say it is. If companies (particularly from the US who are initiating this action) are bidding on contracts then it has become an economic interest of the US to have the war. Why not wait until after the war and have OPEN bidding for contracts?

I know that this is going a bit far, but a good parallel is Germany "taking back" the Ruhr.

[weemadando]

I'm not at all suprised at this. The French are incredible hypocrites. Why we don't just tell them to go fuck themselves is beyond me.

We should, although there is a little thing called politics in the way. :evil:

Strangely that hasn't stopped anyone from calling the US what they damn well want. Are you so afraid of losing UN votes, that you won't even hurt peoples feelings anymore?

[Enlightenment]

Because the goal is no longer the "pure" regime change and destruction of WMDs that they say it is. If companies (particularly from the US who are initiating this action) are bidding on contracts then it has become an economic interest of the US to have the war. Why not wait until after the war and have OPEN bidding for contracts?

I agree with your position but a smoking gun pointing to US economic interests hasn't come to light yet. AFIAK the only contracts awarded have been corporate welfare internal to the US, specifically USAid (US government foreign aid department) contracts awarded to US firms. This bidding should be expected to be open to non-US entities as it's basically US tax dollars being given away as pork. The Friends of Shrub are stealing money from the US taxpayers here but USAid contracts don't transfer wealth from Iraq to the US.

The resource extraction contracts--the only contracts which will enrich someone else at the comparitive expense of Iraq--will have to be made with the Iraqi puppet government once it is installed. There can be little doubt that these will also be handed to the Friends of Shrub but until that happens there is no concrete proof that the US is lining its pockets with the spoils of Iraq.

[weemadando]

Because the goal is no longer the "pure" regime change and destruction of WMDs that they say it is. If companies (particularly from the US who are initiating this action) are bidding on contracts then it has become an economic interest of the US to have the war. Why not wait until after the war and have OPEN bidding for contracts?

I agree with your position but a smoking gun pointing to US economic interests hasn't come to light yet. AFIAK the only contracts awarded have been corporate welfare internal to the US, specifically USAid (US government foreign aid department) contracts awarded to US firms. This bidding should be expected to be open to non-US entities as it's basically US tax dollars being given away as pork. The Friends of Shrub are stealing money from the US taxpayers here but USAid contracts don't transfer wealth from Iraq to the US.

The resource extraction contracts--the only contracts which will enrich someone else at the comparitive expense of Iraq--will have to be made with the Iraqi puppet government once it is installed. There can be little doubt that these will also be handed to the Friends of Shrub but until that happens there is no concrete proof that the US is lining its pockets with the spoils of Iraq.

No smoking gun eh? Since when have they needed a smoking gun to plot a war? Can't I plot out a scenario without having one?