BernieHund: The Political Watchdog

Oh, no!  We haven’t “won” any of the wars.  And, we are still hearing the rising death toll of American soldiers on the battlefields in Iraq and Afghanistan.  But, when the Iraqi’s decided to hand out oil contracts, the State Department was right there to make sure that American companies are well represented.

At a time of spiraling oil prices, the no-bid contracts, in a country with some of the world’s largest untapped fields and potential for vast profits, are a rare prize to the industry. The contracts are expected to be awarded Monday to Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Total and Chevron, as well as to several smaller oil companies.

And, guess who was there to direct the traffic!

The disclosure, coming on the eve of the contracts’ announcement, is the first confirmation of direct involvement by the Bush administration in deals to open Iraq’s oil to commercial development and is likely to stoke criticism.

In their role as advisers to the Iraqi Oil Ministry, American government lawyers and private-sector consultants provided template contracts and detailed suggestions on drafting the contracts, advisers and a senior State Department official said.

About those of us who have been opposed to the war from the get-go:

The deals have been criticized by opponents of the Iraq war, who accuse the Bush administration of working behind the scenes to ensure Western access to Iraqi oil fields even as most other oil-exporting countries have been sharply limiting the roles of international oil companies in development.

For its part, the administration has repeatedly denied steering the Iraqis toward decisions. “Iraq is a sovereign country, and it can make decisions based on how it feels that it wants to move forward in its development of its oil resources,” said Dana Perino, the White House spokeswoman.

Maybe it’s time for Dana Perino to read Scott McClellan’s book, or sit in on some of the Congressional hearings.  Of course, the perky Ms. Perino seems to enjoy the spotlight.  Perhaps, she like McClellan doesn’t question the words she repeats.  Based on the history of the Bush administration, I say we should take Ms. Perino with a drop of oil and look for her next year on FOX News.