Show Notes
IN THE INTEREST OF ACCURACY, here is a correction to the Guardian's original story about Wolfowitz and the oil connection in Iraq:
Corrections and clarifications
Thursday June 5, 2003
A report which was posted on our website on June 4 under the heading "Wolfowitz: Iraq war was about oil" misconstrued remarks made by the US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz, making it appear that he had said that oil was the main reason for going to war in Iraq. He did not say that. He said, according to the Department of Defence website, "The ... difference between North Korea and Iraq is that we had virtually no economic options with Iraq because the country floats on a sea of oil. In the case of North Korea, the country is teetering on the edge of economic collapse and that I believe is a major point of leverage whereas the military picture with North Korea is very different from that with Iraq." The sense was clearly that the US had no economic options by means of which to achieve its objectives, not that the economic value of the oil motivated the war. The report appeared only on the website and has now been removed.
Tonight! Thursday, June 5, 2003
10pm - Accuracy.org's Rahul Mahajan discusses the Patriot Act, the latest conflicting statements over Iraq weapons and Tom Ridge biting his nails over the Terror Colors
11pm - Should the Congress play doctor? NARAL's Karen Cooper talks about Late Term Abortion.
Midnight - As Paul Wolfowitz and other key figures reveal the true reason for Iraq war Is "the oil" we ask: Is Impeachment a Reality?
Wolfowitz: IRAQ WAR WAS ABOUT OIL
George Wright - Guardian/UK
Wednesday June 4, 2003
Oil was the main reason for military action against Iraq, a leading White House hawk has claimed, confirming the worst fears of those opposed to the US-led war.
The US deputy defence secretary, Paul Wolfowitz - who has already undermined Tony Blair's position over weapons of mass destruction (WMD) by describing them as a "bureaucratic" excuse for war - has now gone further by claiming the real motive was that Iraq is "swimming" in oil.
The latest comments were made by Mr Wolfowitz in an address to delegates at an Asian security summit in Singapore at the weekend, and reported today by German newspapers Der Tagesspiegel and Die Welt.
Asked why a nuclear power such as North Korea was being treated differently from Iraq, where hardly any weapons of mass destruction had been found, the deputy defence minister said: "Let's look at it simply. The most important difference between North Korea and Iraq is that economically, we just had no choice in Iraq. The country swims on a sea of oil."
Mr Wolfowitz went on to tell journalists at the conference that the US was set on a path of negotiation to help defuse tensions between North Korea and its neighbours - in contrast to the more belligerent attitude the Bush administration displayed in its dealings with Iraq.
His latest comments follow his widely reported statement from an interview in Vanity Fair last month, in which he said that "for reasons that have a lot to do with the US government bureaucracy, we settled on the one issue that everyone could agree on: weapons of mass destruction."
Prior to that, his boss, defence secretary Donald Rumsfeld, had already undermined the British government's position by saying Saddam Hussein may have destroyed his banned weapons before the war.
Mr Wolfowitz's frank assessment of the importance of oil could not come at a worse time for the US and UK governments, which are both facing fierce criticism at home and abroad over allegations that they exaggerated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein in order to justify the war.
Amid growing calls from all parties for a public inquiry, the foreign affairs select committee announced last night it would investigate claims that the UK government misled the country over its evidence of Iraq's WMD.
The move is a major setback for Tony Blair, who had hoped to contain any inquiry within the intelligence and security committee, which meets in secret and reports to the prime minister.
In the US, the failure to find solid proof of chemical, biological and nuclear arms in Iraq has raised similar concerns over Mr Bush's justification for the war and prompted calls for congressional investigations.
Mr Wolfowitz is viewed as one of the most hawkish members of the Bush administration. The 57-year old expert in international relations was a strong advocate of military action against Afghanistan and Iraq.
Following the September 11 terror attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, Mr Wolfowitz pledged that the US would pursue terrorists and "end" states' harbouring or sponsoring of militants.
Prior to his appointment to the Bush cabinet in February 2001, Mr Wolfowitz was dean and professor of international relations at the Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS), of the Johns Hopkins University
At 10:15 - Scott Ritter - former UN Weapons Inspector discusses Bush's latest diplomatic blunders in Iraq.
11pm - Do you have time to protest? One caller last night said she was "too busy." What are we doing to hang on to this country? Plus: Did police use excessive force at last night's action?
Midnight- Revealed: Immigrants illegally detained. Is America growing more fascist by the second?
Tony Blair has to face the music. Should Bush...Powell?
Tonight: Monday, June 2, 2003
10pm - Battling the LEIU (law enforcement intelligence unit). King County Councilman, Larry Gossett will be on to talk about this evening's action at Westlake Park.
6pm - Westlake Park
Purpose:
1) An end to police spying, harassment, and intimidation. 2) Disbandment of the LEIU. 3) Repeal of the Patriot Act I, and an end to plans for Patriot Act II. 4) Civil liberties for immigrant communities and communities of color. 5) Defense of free speech and the right to assemble.
11pm - Media Consolidation. The FCC voted to further deregulate corporate control of the media. Nicolas Johnson, former FCC Commisioner and a great advocate for the media consumer in the 1970s will be on the air. And the fight isn't over yet. Wednesday, Senator John McCain will hold a hearing with all five FCC Commissioners testifying about the decision. Kinda backwards, huh? Tell McCain what to ask. Click here.
Midnight - WMD: The mainstream press is finally taking an honest look at the lies and deception that lead to the Iraq invasion. Should the story go away or does this make Watergate look like a walk in the park? Check out all the contradictions here in their own words.
Mike Webb show
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