I was poking through the government-seized Enron email
corpus, spotted yesterday by Cho in a uniquely interesting
diary, and I found something that just looks chilling in hindsight. But it has nothing to do with Enron. It's about Bush and Iraq. And it was in plain sight in 2000.
Enron regularly received updates on political issues from "IssueAlert", a service of a company called Scientech. This one broke down the energy policies of Bush vs. Gore as the 2000 election still hung in the balance.
Look what it says about Bush, oil, and Iraq. My pulse rate went up when I read this, and my hands are still shaking just a little. Man, it was all right there:
SCIENTECH IssueAlert, November 8, 2000
As Presidential Election Hangs in Balance, So Do Key Energy Issues
By: Will McNamara, Director, Electric Industry Analysis
[...]
Perhaps the best summary of Bush's energy policy is that he supports a comprehensive approach to ensuring U.S. energy security [...]
Bush contends that U.S. dependence on foreign oil has increased from 50 percent in 1993 to 56 percent today, and that oil imports are projected to increase to 15 million barrels per day by 2010. To remedy this, Bush supports the development of domestic sources for oil, natural gas and renewable energy. Specifically, Bush has proposed opening 8 percent of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to "environmentally responsible and regulated exploration," with the intent of replacing the oil that the United States now imports from Iraq. Regarding natural gas, Bush will examine whether certain promising natural-gas reserves in federal lands should be opened for exploration. Yet, it's important to note that Bush is not suggesting that domestic supply of oil and natural gas will be sufficient. Rather, he recognizes that access to an adequate supply of foreign oil and gas is strategically important to the United States and the global economy. However, instead of relying predominantly on Iraq - especially as Saddam Hussein threatens to reduce production - Bush will work more closely with Canada and Mexico to increase cross-border flows of oil, natural gas and electricity within North America.
[...]
Bush recognizes that while renewable energy is important, it currently accounts for less than 4 percent of the total U.S. energy consumption. Consequently, for the foreseeable
future, Bush contends that hydrocarbons - oil, coal and natural gas - will continue to play the primary role in meeting the growing energy needs of Americans. [...]
The only country mentioned is Iraq, twice. Not Saudi Arabia, not Iran, not Venezuela, not Nigeria, ....
Bush didn't get that ANWR legislation, so he decided to resort to ... other means.
Does anyone really still believe this war was about freedom, WMDs, or an imminent nuclear threat? Bush was waiting, just waiting, for any reason to go into Iraq, and specifically Iraq. That's where the problem was, and he said so. The events of 9/11 were just the ticket he needed.
I don't know why, but these simple statements right from the public domain just stunned me a little when I read them, knowing what I know now. It just makes the Iraq war seem so easy to have predicted (in hindsight). I've been against the war for some time, but looking at this makes me feel so stupid, because I didn't listen right away to those who came out against the war. I feel like a goalie who just put one in his own net.