Letter: With Saddam out of the way, oil will flow

Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2003 | 9:22 a.m.

The new Saudi idea of exile for Saddam Hussein was a big hit with Donald Rumsfeld and the Bush administration. Even if Saddam has no weapons, he has to go because we need to get control of those oil reserves. Incidentally, having no war would save those 500,000 casualties the United Nations estimates.

If Saddam is kicked out, the democracy George W. Bush promised will have to be put on hold for the sake of "stability." The Republican Guard must be retained to support the new iron-fisted dictator we select, and we will have to have a military base there to keep watch on things, but at least the oil can flow.

Most important, control of the oil will give the United States power over its economic enemies -- China, Russia and Europe. The Bushies are "compassionate," so maybe we'll even use the oil money to rebuild the Iraqi infrastructure so that the people will no longer have to drink water polluted with their own sewage.

The problem with this scenario is that the people of the Middle East really do want freedom and many of the good things we enjoy, but that cannot happen as long as an imperial power supports their dictatorships and rakes the profits off the top.

Their nationalistic extremists attacked us on 9-11, and our occupation of Iraq will not make them any happier. Judging from present experience, our answer to further attacks by Saudi Arabians will probably be to invade Iran while doing away with more freedoms at home. Then we'll feel really safe.

JERRY BITTS