Should Jews should be scared of Iraq and Oil?

[wacki]

Bush said to Limbaugh:

Give me a second here, Rush, because I want to share something with you. I am deeply concerned about a country, the United States, leaving the Middle East. I am worried that rival forms of extremists will battle for power, obviously creating incredible damage if they do so; that they will topple modern governments, that they will be in a position to use oil as a tool to blackmail the West. People say, "What do you mean by that?" I say, "If they control oil resources, then they pull oil off the market in order to run the price up, and they will do so unless we abandon Israel, for example, or unless we abandon allies.

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/dai...iew.guest.html

It wasn't that long ago OPEC tried to use the oil embargo against us so Israel would be ....... left for the wolves.

Now, lets say that these guys are right:
http://www.theoildrum.com/storyonly/2006/3/1/3402/63420

or this list of quotes are correct:
http://tinyurl.com/y5vyzo

Just making up some numbers which on the surface seem reasonable to me. If oil prices go up to a modest $4 a gallon then an embargo could very easily spike the prices up to $8 a gallon (same doubling seen during the embargo). How long would the American people support Israel with gas at $8 a gallon?

Think to yourself:

Israel?

Or:

$136 each time I fill up the tank on my Honda Accord,
$216 to fill up a F-150 and
$160 to fill up a Jeep Cherokee?

[canis582]

If Bush controls the oil, the US can do the blackmailing.


Its not an either or like that, nothing geopolitical is that simple.

[andyfox]

Don't extremists already control the oil? Aren't they already using the oil to blackmail us?

[MidGe]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't extremists already control the oil? Aren't they already using the oil to blackmail us?

[/ QUOTE ]

How so? You have the inalienable right to buy or not, just like the producers have the in inalienable right to turn the taps on of off, and to charge whatever price they wish!

Or, are you saying it is for the users to decide, not the owners?

Could not resist the dig at AC. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[wacki]

[ QUOTE ]
Don't extremists already control the oil? Aren't they already using the oil to blackmail us?

[/ QUOTE ]

True but a few things are changing. One, Iran is about to become a nuclear power.

Two, oil prices are high and despite the recent decline they will go back up. I read some article by Thomas Friedman of the NYT's talking about how lot of these countries tend to get rather bold as oil prices go up.

Then again Saddam was anti-israel as well so who knows. I'm just thinking out loud. Maybe bush is using scare tactics, maybe he is erroneously (or correctly) worried. I don't know, I'm merely thinking out loud. Just wondering how valid Bush's concerns are.

[nicky g]

The last oil embargo didn't work. Furthermore most of the Gulf oil states don't really care too much about the Palestinians as long as there isn't an actual major war going on. The countries most affected by the conflict don't have much oil.