Here’s an idea — let’s screw Iraq out of billions

Say, to the tune of $200 billion or so. Now, are Republicans — and a significant percentage of Democrats — going to stop lying that this war wasn’t about oil?

Iraqis face the dire prospect of losing up to $200bn (£116bn) of the wealth of their country if an American-inspired plan to hand over development of its oil reserves to US and British multinationals comes into force next year. A report produced by American and British pressure groups warns Iraq will be caught in an “old colonial trap” if it allows foreign companies to take a share of its vast energy reserves. The report is certain to reawaken fears that the real purpose of the 2003 war on Iraq was to ensure its oil came under Western control.

And this idea didn’t pop up out of nowhere.

Yesterday's report said the use of production sharing agreements (PSAs) was proposed by the US State Department before the invasion and adopted by the Coalition Provisional Authority.

Of course, our Vice President Dick — head of the Iraq invasion will claim it’s “unpatriotic” and “revisionist” to say this.