No Oil for Blood

Here is a question for you. Why, after all the assistance we've given to Iraq over the past five years, was the first major Iraqi oil deal signed with China and not with an American or even a western company? The answer is, in part, because three Democratic senators intervened in Iraqi domestic politics earlier this year to prevent Iraq from signing short-term agreements with Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total, Chevron, and BP.

Frederick Kagan has written a report for The Weekly Standard that should tick you off. It documents how three U.S. senators (Chuck Schumer, John Kerry, and Claire McCaskill) torpedoed Iraq’s plans to sign no-bid contracts with American oil companies that would help boost Iraq’s oil industry, providing Iraq with more stability and bringing more oil onto the market.

Think about that the next time you fill up.

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