Thom Hartmann: Iraq is the big oil prospect...

In the run-up to the Iraq war - British Prime Minister Tony Blair called theories that the war was motivated by oil interests, "the most absurd." But according to memos recently released by the UK newspaper the Independent - Blair's denial is the only thing that's absurd. The memos show that the British Trade Minister assured BP and other energy firms that they would be given generous shares of Iraq's vast oil and gas reserves. One memo reads - "Iraq is the big oil prospect. BP is desperate to get in there and anxious that political deals should not deny them the opportunity." Another reads, "We were determined to get a fair slice of the action for UK [oil] companies in a post-Saddam Iraq." Sure enough - after the invasion - BP got a 20 year contract for oil production in Iraq - the largest ever contract in the history of oil production.

So now that it's clear the UK went to Iraq for oil - are there any doubt that oil baron Dick Cheney did the same thing??

-Thom

(Do you have any doubt? Tell us here.)