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150 comments on An Interview with Michael Klare

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westexas on November 6, 2006 - 9:52pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
On the Larry Kudlow show on CNBC this afternoon, two reasons for staying in Iraq were discussed.  If we abruptly leave:  (1) oil prices would probably hit $100 per barrel and (2)  the stock market would fall.  

Kind of gives the parents sending their only child off to Iraq warm fuzzy feelings doesn't it? Go in  harms way so that we can have lower gasoline prices and higher stock market prices. . .

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andrew on November 7, 2006 - 12:04am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
if it's expensive to stay and extremely expensive to leave in the short term, where does that leave the US, other than going bankrupt between a rock and a hard place?
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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 4:38am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Don't you think Kudlow is maybe a little bit over the top? Isn't he on at 4 or 5, right after the closing bell? He's entertainment. Smart guy, but he made his deal with the devil a while back. He's just trying to provoke. You guys need to stop watching TV so much. And if you do, watch Bloomberg. It'll help you do what you should be doing, which is reading and writing.

Maybe I missed it, but I'm completely baffled by why nobody has mentioned the very, very long article in the NYT Sunday Business section on Kazakhstan. It reads like the real-life Syriana. SAT? What? Too busy with the Wall Street Journal?

$78 million in bribes approved at the highest levels. Everybody denying involvement from Goldman Sachs to ExxonMobil to CP and BP. You would not believe the people involved. The only one who they want to hang is Giffen, I think was his name. Trial starts in February. They are saying a guilty verdict for him will bring down Nazarbayev. I don't buy that last claim. This is, after all, Nazarbayev.

And the NYT runs the special the weekend Borat opens. Too special. Bob Shaw you gotta take a look at this one. This is what it's all about. The Great Game.

Still available for free from the NYT. Grab it while it lasts.

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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 4:43am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Oil, Cash, and Corruption

Don't start reading unless you have a half-hour.

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Mike A on November 7, 2006 - 6:36am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I did, and I didn't have the time. Doh. Has me wondering where Wolfowitz's loyalties would lie in trying to stem corruption if he comes up against any of the current US admins friends.
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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 6:54am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I know I'm going to take shit for this - but in my heart of hearts, I believe "Wolfy" is a good person. And always has been. But again, put my known personality defects aside before you start to explore that. I'm in love with the McNamara parallel at World Bank.

This one will kill me - I hope Rummy finishes his assignment. I really do. I'm less confident it will happen than I was 3 months ago. But he just has one more 2-year tour to do. It would be the best thing for this country. We need to heal our wounds. We need to spend the next 2 years thinking about who we want to be our next Secretary of Defense. And our next State. and CIA. and FBI. and NSC. and a whole lot of other stuff.

Don't sacrifice that for the pleasure of crucifying somebody you have had it out for - for 6 long years. Kill the Hate.

Who will you replace him with? Who? You have no FUCKING IDEA. YOU HAVEN'T EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT.

Did you really want Bush to appoint his successor? Duh.

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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 7:08am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Sorry, that wasn't aimed at you, Mike. Boy, you know how to get me started, though. I've got an interesting relationship with this war. I hope to write about it at some point. I'm completely detached. And I wish I wasn't. I didn't vote for these people, you did. I hated his father. You loved him. I hated the man his father VP'd. You decided you would turn a Hollywood actor into a hero. But I'm crazy because I think this war was just?
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Mike A on November 7, 2006 - 7:18am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Thats a good point. Kind of like billmon wish that the Democrats' NOT win control of the house and senate, due to his belief that there is even more shit to hit the fan to come, and dems are better staying out of the spray so they can come in clean to pick up the pieces...
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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 7:30am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
I hope, once again, you accept my apologies, my rant wasn't aimed at you. I do like this billmon, thing, though. It looks like a blog, I'll have to read some of it, now. I just like anything that starts with whiskey in a dirty glass. Yeeeeeeeeeeeehhaaaawwww!
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Mike A on November 7, 2006 - 7:47am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
No apologies required, it was quite obvious to me the rant was not amined at me.

btw Billmon is brilliant, progressive but independent, his coverage of the Lebanon crisis was second to none, sharp as a knife. His knowledge of history and literature also continualy suprises me... I waste endless time following his links...

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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 9:08am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Wasting endless time is an art. Someday it will be honored as such. I'm appreciating Leonard Cohen now. I wish I had the opportunity earlier.
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Euan Mearns on November 7, 2006 - 6:03pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
"Wolfy" don't ever call me Wolfy - but I realise you were refering to Wolfhistitz.

So your listening to So Long Marriane, John of Arc and Bird on a Wire (with no electricity init)?

I'm at the Oil Depleting Scary Fast Conference in London.  Some great talks and hopefully lined up two guest posts on Peak Oil and Aviation and The (fbig) Energy Gap.

Ill Doomer CW

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alistairC on November 7, 2006 - 9:43am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Yes, I want Rummy out. Rice too. Now. Even under a Bush regime, there is time for damage control. When you're in a hole, the first rule is : stop digging.

Replace them with any two retired generals. (Oh -- if you can find any who haven't criticized the regime yet.) The US military have the training and skills to handle diplomacy and human resources, and they are professionals.

What I'm talking about is a caretaker non-political administration to see out Bush's lame-duck years.

It's not about hate. It's about damage control.

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Leanan on November 7, 2006 - 10:55am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Put Colin Powell in.  The ultimate mea culpa.  Well, short of picking Eric Shinseki...
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Oil CEO on November 7, 2006 - 11:21am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
We've all read the Kazakhstan piece, right? Oh, wait, c'mon go and vote first. C'mon, Leanan, talk to me. It'll be good.
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Oilrig medic on November 7, 2006 - 2:16pm Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Shinseki is a chump. I rode on a C5 with him right when the whole army was adopting the black beret thing.  He asked me what I thought of it and I told him it was a stupid idea you can't get better soldiers with better headgear.  He gave me a generals coin. He is a politician and not a soldier.

matt

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alistairC on November 9, 2006 - 4:25am Permalink | Subthread | Parent | Comments top
Oh happy day!

When Rummy walked...

Gates. OK, a general would have been better, but an old-school insider is as good as could be hoped. The problem is, he'll be taking his orders from Cheney.

Now. I think Rice should be appointed to the strategically important position of ambassador to Uzbekistan.

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150 comments on An Interview with Michael Klare

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