John Kerry For President

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&q=halliburton+iraq+oil+export&btnG=Search

You didn't know that Halliburton has been paid with tax payer money to pump oil out of Iraq and the Iraqi resistance is trying to stop them?!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/3825155.stm

Iraq resumes southern oil exports

Iraq has started exporting oil again from two southern terminals after attacks by saboteurs last week.

Officials said loading started at 0900 (0500 GMT) at Basra terminal and the smaller Khor al-Amaya terminal.

One of two damaged pipelines has been repaired, they said, but oil is being exported at a rate of 1m barrels a day.

Iraq's main source of income comes from oil sales, but insurgents fighting the US occupation have repeatedly attacked Iraq's oil infrastructure.

The latest attacks cut off all crude oil exports from the two southern terminals which had been handling virtually all the country's exports.

They had been exporting 1.6m barrels of oil a day and the aim was to increase output to 2m barrels a day by 30 June, when the US-led coalition is scheduled to hand over sovereignty to an interim Iraqi government.


Crippled exports

"We started loading Basra Light at 0900 Baghdad time (0500 GMT)," Reuters news agency quoted an Iraqi official as saying.

"We are exporting at around 30,000 barrels per hour and will stay at this rate for the next few days until repairs are finished on the second pipeline."

Apart from the attacks on oil installations in the south, a pipeline in northern Iraq was bombed last Tuesday, even though exports there had already been crippled as a result of previous attacks.

The pipeline from the oil fields around Kirkuk to Ceyhan in Turkey has barely been in operation since the March 2003 US-led invasion because of repeated sabotage.

Iraqi oil exports are still below the pre-war level, even though a 14,000-strong Iraqi guard force has been set up specifically to protect pipelines and other vital parts of the oil infrastructure.

Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi says pipeline sabotage has cost the country more than $200m in lost revenues over the past seven months.

With global demand for oil remaining strong, international markets can not easily cope with a prolonged interruption, says the BBC's economics correspondent.

 

Yeah, I don't see any of that happening (what Kerry has proposed for Iraq, that is). It hasn't worked, and I doubt it will ever. Why can't more people see that when it comes to Iraq, both candidates are resorting to wishful thinking?

 

"So, what is John Kerry going to do to end this disaster? Where is his magic plan, aside from the half-baked notion that the UN will save us." There is four points to Kerry's plan

"wow his 4 point plan is things bush has all tried to do! brilliant...copy bush, but say you arent..."
Um...Bush did not work well enough with the UN to get international support which is one reason we have none. His reconstruction efforts do not include Iraqi contractors in the majority. As far as elections, Bush has declared "Mission Accomplished" since many months ago, and they cannot even get the governing council to move swiftly. I think the key here is that Bush may of tried to do some of these things but he surely isnt doing them well, so I believe its time for someone else to step in. I dont like to reward a mediocre presidency with a second term.




John Kerry has a four-point plan to fix our Iraq policy:

• "First, the president has to get the promised international support so our men and women in uniform don't have to go it alone. It is late; the president must respond by moving this week to gain and regain international support. The president should convene a summit meeting of the world's major powers and Iraq's neighbors, this week, in New York, where many leaders will attend the U.N. General Assembly. He should insist that they make good on that U.N. resolution. He should offer potential troop contributors specific, but critical roles, in training Iraqi security personnel and securing Iraq's borders. He should give other countries a stake in Iraq's future by encouraging them to help develop Iraq's oil resources and by letting them bid on contracts instead of locking them out of the reconstruction process."
• "Second, the president must get serious about training Iraqi security forces. The president should urgently expand the security forces training program inside and outside Iraq. He should strengthen the vetting of recruits, double classroom training time, and require follow-on field training. He should recruit thousands of qualified trainers from our allies, especially those who have no troops in Iraq. He should press our NATO allies to open training centers in their countries. And he should stop misleading the American people with phony, inflated numbers."
• "Third, the president must carry out a reconstruction plan that finally brings tangible benefits to the Iraqi people. One year ago, the administration asked for and received $18 billion to help the Iraqis and relieve the conditions that contribute to the insurgency. Today, less than a $1 billion of those funds have actually been spent. I said at the time that we had to rethink our policies and set standards of accountability. Now we're paying the price. Now, the president should look at the whole reconstruction package, draw up a list of high visibility, quick impact projects, and cut through the red tape. He should use more Iraqi contractors and workers, instead of big corporations like Halliburton. He should stop paying companies under investigation for fraud or corruption. And he should fire the civilians in the Pentagon responsible for mismanaging the reconstruction effort."
• "Fourth, the president must take immediate, urgent, essential steps to guarantee the promised elections can be held next year. If the president would move in this direction, if he would bring in more help from other countries to provide resources and forces, train the Iraqis to provide their own security, develop a reconstruction plan that brings real benefits to the Iraqi people, and take the steps necessary to hold credible elections next year -- we could begin to withdraw U.S. forces starting next summer and realistically aim to bring all our troops home within the next four years."

 

1) bush has been bfeore the UN several times to try and gather support

2) Nato is training security forces...is john kerry serious about this? he's going to tell nato that they arent serious about training iraqi forces?

3) he is trying to have the elections as soon as possible, unfortunately with the security problem, it is impossible.

 

Ok, he has been there before, but something is not working out, maybe its because Bush pushed right through them to start the war in the first place?


The 4 Nato officers in Iraq are training? (caution exaggeration and sarcasm)


Would that security problem be the war thats still going on? The one that was already declared accomplished?

Weird, but fine I'll give you those points, but what about the reconstruction effort? But what would you do if France came to America and bombed the crap out of our buildings and such and killed our civilians, when we would not even rise up ourselves, and after the destroy everything, the French open the bidding for reconstrution only to French construction companies. Somethig seems realy weird about all of that, if someone as a rational explination for this then I would love to hear it. I mean the tanker drivers for Halliburton who are working in Iraq get paid 5x more than our soldiers there.

 

you honestly think the iraqis themselves have the full capabilities to rebuild their country without any outside contractors?

 

No I dont, I think they will need help but they are not even involved, like I said before, we have people driving trucks over there that are getting paid more than our troops are. But even before the war was over US Contracters were holding meetings to see who would get the spoils. They do not care as long as they are making the most amount of money they can.

 

yes they are grossly overpaid..but then again, they are riding through a warzone and always under the threat of being kidnapped.

I agree the iraqis need to be involved more, but remember the US is footing the majority of this bill, we need to get compensated someway. Anyways, i believe the iraqi governing council is in control of who gets contracts now.

 

Capabilities, yes the Iraqis indeed have one of the most well educated and qualified populaces in the Middle East. This subtle insinuation that they are a nation of simplistic barbarians is simply another aspect of the daily mainstream corporate propaganda that passes for news in the West.

Frankly, When the day comes that OUR citizens are forced to suffer the ongoing abuse of occupation by a foreign power and the continued lame excuses we see regurgitated here and elsewhere by the "we can't simply pull out" crowd similarly chanted by the populaces of the next world power concerning us (i.e. That our armed resistance is nothing more than terrorist activity rather than the same sort of Patriotism any one of us would demonstrate in defence of his/her home soil, that the installed puppets chosen for us are even remotely demonstrative of "democracy", and that we are incapable of deciding our future system of governance without outside interference), I truly hope that that our resident excuse makers still live and breathe and recall the unquestioned claims and labels they so readily bought into.

A day of shame, and rightfully earned, that will be.

 

I know the U.S. is footing the bill for all our firepower, but I am pretty sure we have an agreement to be repayed in oil. Something like a certain percentage once its starts flowing again. I dont know enough about this though.

Also I dont know how it works, the US government is footing the bill, Halliburton isnt paying the government for all the contracts its getting is it? I thought this was a private company so the profit will go to the Halliburton company, and the oil will pay back the government.

 

WE aren't getting compensated. They buy these outrageously expensive contracts from companies of personal friends, take the money from the taxpayers, and hands it right over to their buddies. It is glorified embezzlement if you ask me.

 

Repaid for what? The US government isn't doing anything to be repaid.

No, Halliburton is getting paid by the government. I would like to see a list of companies other than Halliburton that could take on such a massive project as rebuilding Iraq.

 

I know we all have our difference about who should be president. I have noticed that when someone says they dislike one of the canidates that those supporting him get extremely defensive. One of my good friends is republican and says she will be voting for Bush. I support her desicion as she supports me in knowing that I think he is a dumbass...and will vote for Kerry or whatever. She has her beleifs and I have mine and we do not let that get in the way of a friendship we have begun to share. We all have our minds set on who we are going to vote for and are extremely lucky we have a choice. Some places people don't and we should not see this as a way to be negative to those who have different views other than our own. I dislike Bush but know all those who support them have their reasons and that is fine...as long as you vote...you have a voice. Keep the Peace...Keep the Peace

~Laurel Bay-Tree

 

You honestly think that Halibuton is the only company in the WORLD qualified to do this, and that Cheney's connection to it is all just coincidence?

 

I love everyone in the political forums, cept peole who use name calling and cursing to debate. Other wise, if you lived in my town I woud be hanging out with alot of you most likley. I want to keep the peace too, thats why I am debating.

 

I dig it sister! Let us spread the word...keep the peace we are all a rainbow of possibilities!

 

Dammit I am a man, haha and a straight one so the "sister" can't apply.

 

and we love you too, and yer a good debater

 

Ooops! Sorry...Brother my mistake...maybe you were a sister in a past life though.

 

So what other companies are qualified and willing to do this? I am being pretty open minded here, but nobody has named any other companies that could (or are willing) to do this big and dangerous of a project.