The Surge is Working?

It would be generous to call The Iraq War a fiasco, although Republicans will tell you it's a 'mixed bag'. The real reason for invading Iraq, of course, was oil security. An outcome that, so far anyway, has eluded the US government as insurgents and other groups have been very successful at thwarting efforts to increase Iraqi oil production. What will the next ten years bring is the question for many that will decide if the rationale for invading Iraq was sound.

Will Iraq fall in line as a major oil producer for the US? Replacing oil from Venezuela and other oil producing states that more and more are wanting to deal with cash rich China. The Chinese pay top dollar, and demand little or nothing in the way of human rights, political democratization or worker safety. While the US is seen as a dictatorial power that applies all kinds of social and political 'strings' to their deals, plus we want it cheap.

The bulwark of our oil supply Saudi Arabia is the heart of Al Quaeda and one of the most repressive regimes in the region. Iranians have much more freedom in their daily lives than Saudis do. Iraq however is not turning out to be the puppet regime Bush and his cronies thought it would be. Turned out to be a more complex problem, no doubt made even more complex by the incompetence of this administration. Yet Washington elites still support the effort to secure oil supplies. They are briefed daily on the consequences to National Security and our economy if we have an 'oil crisis' brought on by restricted supplies of oil.
For a relatively small country we consume 25% of the worlds available supply. Our dependence on the stuff makes it doubly difficult to find alternatives.

Great documentary
http://www.cbc.ca/passionateeyemonday/feature_171207.html

The real solution is to find those alternatives. Enough sunlight hits the US everyday to power ten US economies. Water can be transformed into hydrogen using a car battery for gods sake, hydrogen can be used to power all sorts of things, and the by product of burning hydrogen is water. Talk about your renewable energy. With sunlight providing the electricity to break water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the use of hydrogen to make electricity, power combustion for automobiles and other devices, the cycle is complete and offers truly endless supply of energy that can be adapted to run homes and businesses, automobiles and airplanes. Replacing the 'dirty' technology of carbon based fuels, whether that is petroleum or bio-fuels is not only a mandate for our security and continued prosperity but for the very health and life on the planet.



Saddam Hussein is still missed by many, and the rest of the population question whether all the bloodshed and continued suffering was worth it.
In the long run, however, the Americans will measure success in Iraq in a different way, in barrels per day.
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/meast/12/30/iraq.alert.ap/index.html

MTMIND
Michael Trachtenberg