Representative Confronts American Empire on House Floor
By Jim McDermott, AlterNet. Posted May 26, 2007.
Rep. Jim McDermott rescues some history from the memory hole and puts Iraq into context: It's always been all about the oil.
Editor's note: After a week that saw Democrats cave to the White House in the worst possible way on Iraq, we thought this speech, offered on the House floor by Rep. Jim McDermott, D-Wa., last Wednesday, was worth highlighting. In a brief, five-minute commentary, McDermott does something almost unheard of in Washington: He looks at an issue in its larger historical context instead of pretending it just sprung up overnight like mushrooms after a rainfall.
Mr. Speaker:
This president and vice president have vowed to repeat the mistakes of history, and they have put into motion a plan to do just that in Iran, even as the House is about to send the president a box of blank checks for Iraq, against the will of the American people.
The history is worth knowing.
In 1953, the United States and United Kingdom launched Operation Ajax, a covert CIA operation to destabilize and remove the democratically elected government of Iran, including then Prime Minister Mohammed Mossadegh.
Why? Oil.
Under Mossadegh, the Iranian government decided to reclaim Iran's rightful ownership of its national oil treasure, which had been exclusively controlled by the British who were taking 85 percent of the profits.
Oh, and by the way, the U.K. also kept the books secret, merely telling Iran what its 15 percent take was.
As soon as Mossadegh began to reclaim Iran's oil treasure, it was all over. Operation Ajax was set into motion.
The U.S. embassy in Tehran provoked phony internal Iranian dissent, while the Brits engineered an Iranian financial crisis by orchestrating a global boycott of Iranian oil. We brought down the Iranian government and installed the Shah.
For two decades, we propped up the Shah against the will of the Iranian people. It was all about controlling Iran. It still is. Today, ABC News is reporting exclusively that this president has authorized a new covert CIA plot to bring down the Iranian government.
I ask unanimous consent to enter into the record the journalism produced by chief investigative reporter Brian Ross and Richard Esposito of ABC News.
This is their lead sentence in the story.
"The CIA has received secret presidential approval to mount a covert 'black' operation to destabilize the Iranian government, current and former officials in the intelligence community tell the Blotter on ABCNews.com."
We’re back in 1953, and that worked out so well.
Of course, the vice president wanted to invade Iran, so we can be sure he will spin new tales of fear in coming days to keep his preferred option, invasion, very much alive.
The president knows only one way -- my way or the highway.
His vice president knows only one way -- invade and seize control of what you want -- and he wants the oil treasure of Iraq and Iran to become wholly owned subsidiaries of the western oil companies he so favors.
With Iraq in civil war, the president has authorized a secret plan to repeat the doomed mistakes of history in Iran.
How many billions of reconstruction money for Iraq will be siphoned off for the deconstruction of Iran?
The American people are virtually shouting at us to pay attention and get our soldiers out of Iraq, now.
Vast sums of U.S. taxpayer money are flowing into Iraq and billions of U.S. dollars are missing.
The special inspector for Iraq reconstruction told a San Antonio newspaper last week that corruption in Iraq is endemic and debilitating.
But, Prime Minister al-Maliki has granted ministers and former ministers immunity from prosecution by Iraq’s Commission on Public Integrity.
And, in turn, the ministers can shield their own employees from prosecution.
And, a government that has been told by this president and vice president to pass an oil law that transfers control -- and profits -- to Western oil companies, just like the good old days in Iran.
Overthrowing Iran in 1953 was all about oil. Invading Iraq was all about oil. And the new secret plot against Iran is all about oil.
Oil is the only benchmark this president and vice president want, and they will keep American soldiers fighting and dying until an oil law is passed in Iraq that gives Western oil companies control of the spigot.
It is time to unmask the latest doomed plot to overthrow Iran and past time to get out soldiers out of Iraq.
Nothing less than protecting our troops is acceptable.
Thank you.
Note from Lizzy:
Of course we knew it's been about the oil all along, but does the rest of the country care? Apparently not.
Moments of truth like this one are hard to come by in politics. The problem is that nothing ever seems to come from it. This administration is nothing more than a bunch of sociopathic mob-like criminals, and the Democrats are a bunch of spineless wimps for not taking the necessary steps to remove them from office.
Frankly, I've had enough of both parties. Cindy Sheehan recently gave up. I'm almost to that point myself.
In the meantime, I am backing Ron Paul for President. Fuck 'em.
10 comments:
That is a great speech. Our national lack of historical perspective is a frightening thing.
Liz,
I cannot believe what I just saw! You are backing a Republican?
I never thought I'd actually see that sentiment from you.
I wish more of them would speak out against and condemn the religious nutcases that have taken over the party.
I have only seen Ron Paul debate once and on Real Time once, however I am shocked that he's not polling much higher!
Laura
I think the American Public would care if the facts and truths were hammered into their brains every day on the TV the way the propaganda (gotta fight'em over there, if we leave it will be a blood bath, etc) is hammered into their heads every day.
I think if Americans knew, as Bush recently openly admited, that we have plans to stay in Iraq for 50+ years that they would be outtaged.
But again, unfortunately most Americans tune, turn on, and drop out in front of the TV after work, maybe catching 30 minutes or an hour of news before heading off into sitcom TV land or cop drama land for some escapsim. And in that perhaps an hour of news that the average American hears, they are not going to hear about the permanent military bases, the vatican sized embassy, Bush's 50 year plan for Iraq, Bush's purposefully sabotaging of Iraq so that the next President can't leave, the production sharing agreements so desperately wanted by Chevron, Exxon, BP, and Shell to give them 80% of Iraq's oil Profits, that it is Iraqi Soldiers trained by Americans that later go out and plant IED's to blow up the very Americans who trained them, if Americans were hearing all this on a daily basis then I think there would be more outrage.
Instead they hear about Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, and Lindsey Lohan. Hell, sometimes when I flip through the TV they're still talking about that girl that was killed in Aruba.
If they hear anything about Iraq it's usually about "The President" is "firm" on Iraq, or how "progress is being made" or how "Al Qaeda" this or Al Qaeda tha, or "fight'em over there"
They'll hear about the occasional bombing and death of a soldier but that is quickly followed by video of cute dogs wearing hats using a wide angle lens (a South Park reference...)
Frankly, I've had enough of both parties. Cindy Sheehan recently gave up. I'm almost to that point myself.
I agree with you Lizzy and am going to personally make it my mission to see that Pelosi loses her next primary. The time has come to see an effective leader in the House. Pelosi has proven she can't, or won't, stand up to the President.
Teah, that'll fix everything put the Republicans in complete charge again.
Not
It's somewhat confusing to me, that we have seen what a party divided, weak and unsupported can get us... "Republicans" running this country and being out of control.
We had a congress and Senate run by the Republican party and look at the mess they left.
Now to your post. I think that, yes Americans knew what this war with Iraq was about and America knows that the House and Senate went along with their President to make his ideals stand without any trouble from the left.
We are all knee deep in this man's mess and we are tired of our tax dollars being wasted in Iraq, so oil companies and business companies can become even richer.
We know the America has been neglected by this President for the sake of the rich, those who already have.
Time has come for the Congress, the Senate and the President to do the will of the people for the good of the people and the United States.
There is a lot for Pelosi to answer, such as why did she take impeachment off the table, why didn't she continue to fight the bill the President sent back to them with a veto.
I could argue both ways about why this and why that, but it comes down to America not needing a Republican House and Senate ever again.
Lizzy, Ron Paul seems to be a good man with good principles, but does that qualify him to run this country?
I to like a lot of what he has stood up for in the past and how he has never followed the Republican's because they said so.
Right now, I am looking in the Democratic field to find a candidate who has America and it's people at heart... I've seen what the Republicans can do.
We all have to make our own decision and that is what being a American is all about.
Great post and very true. It's about time someone stepped up and told the truth beside Keith Olbermann.
Good for Mr. McDermott. I can't imagine anyone would have been brave enough to say such things during the year or so after the 9/11/01 attacks. We hear this kind of opinion more and more these days, as our elected Reps and Senators fear the Bush administration less. Bush does have almost 600 days left in office, but he is a lame duck nonetheless. I don't think Dems should use that as an excuse to sit back and wait for those nearly 600 days to be done, though.
Despite my dissatisfaction and frustration with the Democrats, I still can't back a GOP candidate, even if he or she is definitely different from the GOP establishment. Even if ron Paul got elected as POTUS, I think he would have to face that same GOP establishment every day he was in office. Ultimately, I think they would be much more powerful than he could be, and positive change might ultimately be prevented.
I continue to hold out hopes that the Democrats will nominate somebody besides Hillary Clinton to run as their candidate. I don't want to vote for her, but I will if I believe it is the only way to keep a Republican from winning the White House. Fred Thompson, anyone? Rudy Giuliani? Mitt Romney? John McCain? Ick. As much as I dislike Clinton, I would still choose her over any of those others. Over Ron Paul? That would be a tough choice, but I would probably still go with the Democrat, in hopes that the Dems could also retain control of Congress in 2008. But if it came down to Ron Paul running against Edwards or Obama or just about anyone else the Dems decided to run? I would vote for the Dem hands down. I know, it is certainly choosing the lesser of two evils, and I hate having to view it that way.
I'm beginning to think that maintaining control of Congress is going to be just as, if not more, important than winning the White House. With the way the new Congress has performed so far re. the war issue, they will be lucky to retain their control after elections in 2008 and/or 2010. I am extremely frustrated by seeing Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi getting nowhere re. the war. Granted, they do not have the votes to override a presidential veto in most cases, and Bush knows this. Just the same, they need to take a position and stick with it. Anything less is just a let-down to all of us who gave them control of Congress. It comes down to integrity, and the new leaders aren't showing a whole lot of leadership thus far. I hope this will change, but I'm not sure it will before Bush is done.
I also continue to hope that a third party candidate will capture the imagination of some of the American voters. I think this would inject some life into our political system. If Hagel and Bloomberg decided to run, I would like to see them call themselves representatives of the "Conservative" party. Today's Republicans are not conservative, not in the traditional political sense of the word. The act of simply naming an alternative party something like "Conservative" might be enough to siphon off large numbers of voters from the Republican ranks, and some moderate Dems as well.
Try not to get too disgusted, Lizzy. Ask yourself, "What would Paul Wellstone do?" 8-)> I suspect if he were here today his response might be something like "Don't give up hope". I'm not giving up hope, not yet anyway.
What would Paul Wellstone do?
He wouldn't throw his support to a "moderate" "Republican".
He's invite Ron Paul to come to the party of everyman and leave the party of the rich.
He'd stand up and yell FUCK NO!! at the top of his lungs!!!
Paul Wellstone would not turn his back on the one albeit anemic hope the country has - the only opposition party with any chance of making a difference.
Thanks for all your great comments.
When the Democrats caved in to Bush on the war spending - like a lot of Dems, I lost it.
I am extremely disappointed with our party and the lack of leadership. Pelosi & Reid need to go. I'm waiting for that one candidate to stand up and say "enough" and then have the balls to not back down to the Repubs when they go after him. I thought it was Obama, then I thought it was Kucinich, but they're not doing it for me right now. But, there's a lot of time still, and I'm hoping that one of them really steps up.
I first learned of Ron Paul when he was interviewed in the documentary, America: Freedom to Fascism. I urge everyone to see it.
Later, when I heard Ron Paul on the debate, and then subsequently interviewed on various news shows, he struck a cord with me. He's not afraid to speak the truth, and doesn't back down from a fight. His voting record does not fluctuate with the polls...ala Hillary.
Whomever is the Democratic candidate, will get my vote. BUT, if something freaky-deaky happens and Ron Paul gets the nomination...and he's up against Hillary, I might be at a loss.
I know that's never gonna happen.
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