Australia admits it : "We're staying in Iraq for oil"

[Evil Figment]

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,20867,22021186-1702,00.html

Do I even need to comment?

[The Big Al]

Of course their government is claiming it's not true. Watch the elections. I think a change is in order.

[Evil Figment]

Well, seeing as the man who said this is the Defense minister...

It's more the prime minister trying to downplay it than the whole government clamoring "NOT TRUE!"

[Æsahættr™]

This is the first I've heard of it but, on the whole, not that surprising. The government has been promising to withdraw the troops for quite some time, but something always stops it. All I hear is "Stall-Tactic."

[Mozz]

Good good.

[TTEchidna]

Well, honesty is the best policy, as they say.

[Æsahættr™]

Let's hope so, with John Howard having tried every other policy there is.

[Suzu]

Well. Atleast my nutjob Australian classmates can see that America isn't the only country with a 'less than perfect' government.

[Æsahættr™]

And the Understatement of the Year award goes to: SUZU! For "Less than Perfect" regarding the Australian Government. ^.^

[exdeath64]

Australia is nuts! (no offense met. we are not in the war for oil. we are in the war to prevent our literal and metophorical asses from being nuked into F***ing oblivion)

[Suzu]

And the Understatement of the Year award goes to: SUZU! For "Less than Perfect" regarding the Australian Government. ^.^

Bwaha xD I was trying to put it 'nicely'. I should've used 'Fucking nuts', really xD. Even though that's a bit of an understatement too.

[Evil Figment]

Australia is nuts! (no offense met. we are not in the war for oil. we are in the war to prevent our literal and metophorical asses from being nuked into F***ing oblivion)

Yes, because inexistant WMDs are a grave threat to America.

[Æsahættr™]

Yes, because inexistant WMDs are a grave threat to America.

Game, set and match.

[GrnMarvl13]

Yes, because inexistant WMDs are a grave threat to America.

Well it seems the real ones aren't a threat. We have to be afraid of SOMETHING.

[eX.A.K.R.]

I'm surprised - not by the revelation, but by their honestly. Never did I once thought they would admit they are there for the oil.

[exdeath64]

mustard gas is a wmd

[The Big Al]

And what was he going to do with it (if he still had it)? Smoke it like dope. He didn't have any means of delivering it and even if he did he'd never get it past the no flyzones.

The only "wmd" I've heard about are buried relics from before the first gulf war. We've let to find the labs and factories Bush was yelling and screaming about.

[TTEchidna]

mustard gas is a wmd

Nuclear warheads are a more dangerous WMD. I wonder who has all of those...

[Evil Figment]

mustard gas is a wmd

I was not aware he could "nuke your literal asses into fucking oblivion" with mustard gas.

Besides which, a single shell that was improperly stored does not count as evidence of anything except the desperation of some Bush-fans.

[Nick]

I'm impressed by the very honest approach as well, although sometimes honesty can be used for political benefit. Also pardon me for sounding slightly off topic though exdeath needs to do a podcast on this subject (and possible future debates). I tried to ask the TheRealMrSawyer if he would do one when he created his big abortion topic and he declined, and I think we have another great candidate lined up now. Again pardon me for sounding off topic.

[exdeath64]

oh, and i guess if we just left saddam alone he NEVER would have tried to get the bomb...

[GrnMarvl13]

oh, and i guess if we just left saddam alone he NEVER would have tried to get the bomb...

...We left Kim Jong-Il alone and he HAD "the bomb." And we were told Saddam was ACTIVELY trying to develop a nuclear device. We were told he was trying to (or had) acquired "yellow cake" from somewhere in Africa. BOTH WERE LIES. What Saddam WOULD have done is irrelevant. Our reasons for going in there were lies or half-truths. What we were promised would happen once we went in there were lies. How long it would take was ANOTHER lie. "Mission accomplished" is ANOTHER lie. At the very least, Australia is coming clean. I would LOVE for the Bush administration to own up to ONE THING that has gone wrong or wasn't true regarding this war. Instead, it's constant deflection or more lies and half-truths. Frankly, I'm sick of the entire thing.

[Evil Figment]

oh, and i guess if we just left saddam alone he NEVER would have tried to get the bomb...

Even IF he had tried to get the bomb AND suceeded, whatever gives you the idea he would actually have used it against the United States?

Realistically, Iraq under Saddam, EVEN if he had developed nukes, would hardly even have been more of a threat to the United States than, say, Pakistan under Musharaf (which does have nukes).