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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us January 3, 2006 Beyond suicide bombings: hiding the truth in plain sight From the RIGHT side MIKE GREEN Have no fear; the truth is here. Forget everything you think you know about the War on Terror. It’s all a lie. Forget the weapons of mass destruction that could potentially disintegrate some unsuspecting metropolis. Forget about the dirty bombs, clean nukes and supposed terrorists waiting to board every flight with a sharp pair of scissors or box cutter. That’s not to say those threats do not exist, but rather to say that the fear promoted of such threats is primarily hyperbole used as a distraction from the ongoing saga unfolding on the world stage that represents a reality that truly deserves the utmost attention of every American. Instead, we’re cowering behind the pant-legs of Uncle Sam, hoping he will repel whatever perceived monsters he has concocted for our entertainment whenever he waves a red flag of warning. And if you are prone to believe the rhetoric about the intentions of bad man Saddam Hussein and his past potential for targeting and attacking the United States, perhaps you would also be interested in some scenic waterfront property in New Orleans … right next to the levee. While our government was screaming at Osama bin Laden amid the rubble of collapsed towers in New York, and the U.S. was targeting Afghanistan, the so-called Muslim extremists and the equally notorious “axis of evil,” I was pointing the way toward our present-day situation in Iraq. I wrote an article, published on September 12, 2002, that predicted the U.S. invasion of Iraq as well as the present-day quagmire, and surmised that our government intends in the end to control the oil exports of Iran … again. Again? Yes. Again. The research I conducted four years ago revealed a number of names we read in the newspapers on a regular basis today, who have been involved in this war for more than a quarter of a century. Two of those names I will present to you in this column because they are currently at the pinnacle of power in a winner-take-all scheme for literally trillions of dollars in oil revenues over the course of the next quarter century. Both men are CIA operatives. One is in charge of the Defense Ministry in Iraq, while the other was recently placed in charge of Iraq's Oil Ministry as Americans were preoccupied enjoying their Christmas vacations. In my opinion it is the single biggest untold story of 2005. Before the president takes the State of the Union podium this year to present his propaganda proposing plans to protect us all from Muslim extremists bogeymen, perhaps we should all be armed with facts that offer a thorough understanding of the war on terror’s big picture. My own peek behind the curtain of deceit provided a look at a number of faces and names that have dominated media reports that cover the events of the war in Iraq. These names are constantly in the media and constantly connected to power, both in front of and behind the curtain that shields us from the truth. Two names of two very powerful men continue to appear in the media's coverage of the war in Iraq, both of whom are connected to the most secret elements of our government, as well as the most visible elected leaders in our nation. Nearly everything the American public believes about Iraq today can be attributed to these two men … Ayad Allawi and Ahmad Chalabi. Over the years, it is these men who have shaped our understanding of the threat in Iraq and hyped the fears of the American public in an effort to pave the way for the U.S. military to invade Iraq not once … but twice. After the successful regime change in 2003, the man appointed as interim Prime Minister on May 29, 2004 in Iraq was Ayad Allawi (also Iyad Allawi). Allawi was once the head of the Iraqi National Accord (INA) that was initially supported and then abandoned by the CIA and British Intel in a failed coup d’etat of the Hussein regime in the 90s. Many of its members were captured by Saddam and executed. Allawi is the guy through whom the controversial claim was channeled that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction could be “operational in 45 minutes.” He is also the guy to whom the connection between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda is attributed. When the U.S. claimed that it was passed bad information regarding Hussein’s nuclear program and al Qaeda connections, think of Allawi and his organization. But don’t believe for a second the U.S. government’s claims are sincere. After Saddam was removed it was Allawi who was put in charge of Iraq by our government. When he failed to find support among Iraqis after the elections early last year, he was moved to another position of power. The man who succeeded him, Ibrahim al-Jaafari, was initially second in command in Allawi’s administration. So, where was Allawi moved? Iraq’s Minister of Defense, in charge of the military, police, and security nationwide. In November 2005, in the wake of president Bush suggesting 40,000 troops might be pulled out of Iraq, Allawi screamed to the media that Iraq today is worse than when Saddam was in power, and that secret prisons, torture and rampant executions were being conducted by Shiite Muslims. The rationale? Offset the U.S. government’s new approach to the idea that the U.S. ought to leave Iraq (although we have no intentions of doing so). Allawi’s accusations provide the basis for the argument that our troops must stay until Iraq is “stable.” Then there is the infamous Ahmad Chalabi … the man with a checkered past. He was sentenced by the country of Jordan to 22 years of hard labor in prison for bank fraud. He and his nephew were also the targets of a raid by U.S. intelligence. A U.S. judge spent quite a bit of time trying to pin something on him but nothing would stick. And the CIA blames him for misleading it down the path of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Just before the invasion of Iraq in 2003, Chalabi told the media: "Personally, I will not run for any office, and I am not seeking any positions. My job will end with the liberation of Iraq from Saddam's rule" (Ahmad Chalabi cited in an October 3, 2002 BBC article) On the contrary, Chalabi has been quite involved in politics in Iraq, even if behind the scenes. He has given numerous interviews to the press and has remained one of the most influential power brokers in the region, even though he has no political constituency among Iraqis. Just yesterday, in an Associated Press article about suicide bombings in Iraq, buried beneath 11 paragraphs were three that provided information regarding the “forced vacation” of Iraq’s Oil Minister, who subsequently resigned last week. He was replaced by Ahmad Chalabi, the man with a very long record of involvement with the CIA, Pentagon and White House, as well as a number of congressional leaders. Perhaps Chalabi didn't run for office ... but he is now in one of Iraq's most powerful political seats, in charge of the world's third largest oil reserves worth trillions of dollars. Chalabi, like Allawi, headed an organization in Iraq during the reign of Saddam Hussein, which also attempted and failed to oust the former dictator. That organization, The Iraqi National Congress (INC), was also funded and supported by the CIA and other secret elements within our government. Like the INA, the INC was also abandoned by the U.S., after numerous promises, and during a crucial moment in history which resulted in many casualties at the hands of Saddam Hussein. Still, the INA and INC weren't the only groups looking for compensation after being cajoled into butting heads with Saddam ... only to lose many heads among its members. Consistent with its policies in Iraq, the U.S. government supported the Kurds as well during their uprising against Saddam. Not surprisingly, they too were abandoned and left to be slaughtered. And not surprisingly, the leading Kurds wound up in top spots in the Iraqi government following the U.S. invasion. Propaganda regarding the war rules the day in America. And most of the public is convinced that we are doing the right thing, because as the president says, we would rather fight the terrorists there than fight them here. Such rhetoric is convenient to use for a public that doesn't know the historical involvement of this country with Iran, Iraq and Saudi Arabia. Americans are readily distracted with passionate and sometimes vitriolic arguments about the war on terror. But our government isn't so easily distracted. Since 1980, when it developed a relationship with Saddam Hussein in an effort to assist him in an invasion of Iran, the U.S. government has had one focus ... regain control of Mid-East oil exports. After the Shah of Iran was ousted, the U.S. and Great Britain lost control over the largest oil reserves in the region. And in similar style to a Tom Clancy novel, the U.S. used clandestine relationships with Kurdish rebels, the INA and INC in failed efforts to undermine Saddam Hussein and gain control of Iraq ... and its massive and largely untapped oil reserves. Eventually, it resorted to an outright invasion, as Chalabi readily assumes credit for persuading. It was Chalabi who convinced congress to pass the Iraqi Liberation Act. And it was Chalabi who convinced the U.S. that Saddam could only be unseated through an all-out invasion. But, in fact, it took two tremendous invasions. The first consisting of more than a half-million troops in 1991. The second, in 2003, came amid strong opposition from the world community. But our government didn't lose track of its goal. After all, there were hundreds of billions of barrels of oil at stake. So, the excuse was that Saddam was a threat. Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. The world was not convinced. But the American public bought it, hook, line and sinker. And in U.S. politics, the only governing factor is the opinion of the American voting public. Chalabi is the guy upon whose head much of the pre-Iraq invasion information received by our defense intelligence agencies and CIA was blamed. Chalabi was also targeted by the CIA as an informant to Iran. In other words, both he and Allawi were fall guys. Both were discredited by elements in our government, even as both have been held aloft by elements within our government. It is these two men who are the power behind the propaganda. Both fell from the throne of grace. And both have risen again from the ashes to secure top spots in the newly arranged Iraq government. One is in charge of the Iraqi military, the other in charge of the nation’s oil. So, what does it all mean? There is a long history of the U.S. involvement in both Iraq and Iran. Our government’s relationship with Saudi Arabia is one to be carefully scrutinized. And while Americans are busy watching the suicide attacks and bombs explode in one direction, a war for control of the oil exports of both Iraq and Iran has continued unabated since 1980. And why not? Together, they represent the world’s largest cache of oil reserves and literally trillions of dollars worth of reasons why the U.S. is willing to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in two invasions of Iraq spanning 12 years, and at the cost of thousands of lives, both American and Iraqi. The truth is simple. The facts shed light on it all. It is the hype that confuses people. Look beyond the hype. Peek around the curtain of deceit. Nothing has changed in a long while. All the same players are still involved. All the same names are in the media constantly. Don’t look at Bush and Cheney. Look at the men behind them. AVAILABLE NOW at all major bookstores, and online at Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Borders.com. Click the cover for a 37% discount. To respond to this column send email to [email protected] . Only those responses containing the writer's name, city and phone number (for verification purposes only) will appear on our site. Mike Green is an award-winning columnist and author of, " The WHOLE truth about the U.S. War on Terror: answers to every question you never knew to ask ." ( www.thetruthaboutterror.com ) From the RIGHT Side is a web-only column published by the Daily Tidings. Letters to the Editor and Guest Forums should be e-mailed in text-only format to [email protected]. Please include your address and a daytime phone number where you can be reached for confirmation. Submissions cannot have run in any other publication. Letters are limited to 250 words, Guest Forums are limited to 600 words, and may be edited for length, content and clarity. 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