An Arch Druid's take on the news

Another sign of progress was the announcement that the Iraqi government will award contracts to 41 foreign oil firms in an effort to increase production. It's the first time foreign energy companies have been allowed in Iraq since Saddam Hussein expelled them 36 years ago.

That to Thomas is the best indicator of progress in Iraq, the real proof of "victory" for which GW wants his successor to have to deal with once his own term is over with.  And McCain wants a U.S. presence to stay in Iraq not necessarily to "establish a democracy" in Iraq but rather to assure profits for foreign energy firms, and perhaps at the expense of the Iraqi people.

And a few days later, a letter to the Roundtable of the Spokesman-Review became an addendum to the Cal Thomas editorial:  Titled, "Big Oil is back in Iraq" Bob Valen of Grand Coulee, Washington provides quite a history of foreign energy company investment in Iraq starting in 1912.  Mr. Valen also concurred with Mr. Thomas about the fact that Hussen expelled the foreign energy companies from Iraq when he took power.  What Mr. Valen also mentioned was the fact that the news media in general took a pass on the fact that big oil was back in Iraq.  Most of the news media did, I am sure, take a pass, except for Mr. Thomas.  But then there might be a reason, our troops die in Iraq to guarantee profits for BP, Exxon/Mobile and etc.?  Perhaps the news media wants to discuss "defeat" in Iraq as Thomas histrionically likes to accuse them, but neither do they want to make the end months of the GW term in office more miserable than it already is.  That is, exept industry shill Cal Thomas, who couldn't wait to gloat over our "victories" without perhaps considering the ramifications of what he reveals.  We went to war over a commodity.  We cost or were responsible for the loss of health, wealth and lives of 10s of thousands of Iraqis just so that foreign energy companies could get some kind of agreement with our puppet gvt in Iraq.  How about that.  You get the feeling again just how much this administration and indeed its apologists have tended to lie.  Now, how would that potentially hurt Senator McCain?  My guess, a lot as long as Moveon.org can use a variant of an ad that now includes "big oil" as to why McCain really wants to continue a hundred year war in Iraq.

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On another front, Pentagon reports that in Afghanistan the Taliban have regrouped, have become a major insurgency and that more American troops are certain to die there.  Two points to consider:  Iraq as terrorist training ground, not as some "in the future" problem only if we leave Iraq too soon.  But on-going.  There had been brief news blurbs about what effective attacks the Taliban had engaged in, inclusive of IEDs to target U.S. led coalition forces in Afghanistan.  Wouldn't an increase in violence in Afghanistan tie directly with A.  GW taking his eye off the real Al Qaeda threat that continues to center near if not in Afghanistan?  B.  His fumbles with Pakistan as to any resolution about Taliban strongholds in Pakistan?  Training grounds in Pakistan?  Point two, the foreign fighters in Iraq have got their terrorist training in real time under their belts and are now beefing up the Taliban and Al Qaeda to give the U.S. presence still in Afghanistan a lot of grief.  Thomas, though, you see, doesn't want to discuss our failures to create a stable state for Afghanistan.  But then, the Iraqi oil, you see is so much more important.