Letter: Lives will be lost for the sake of big oil

Thursday, July 26, 2007 | 7:09 a.m.

The Bush loyalists succeeded in obstructing the Levin-Reed bill, which would have altered the situation in the Iraq war. This war is now in its fifth year.

This bill was written by men of conscience, who were equipped with knowledge and foresight. It was written to bring men and women home after years of risking their lives .

It was written to ease the pain of those mothers and fathers who have lost their sons or daughters in the ill-fated conflict. It was also written to give us here at home a bit of relief. To continue as we have been doing is neither reasonable nor prudent. Surge after surge has wrought no change.

Sectarian violence and disagreement are at an all-time high in Iraq. Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi people have died. The U.S. spends billions of dollars a month on Iraq. It is said by the loyalists that the war could continue for five to 10 more years. Who has profited? Who will profit from this war?

Is this Republican loyalty to a failed president worth more than the lives of our military men and women, who are 20 and 25 and 30 years old?

It is now commonly accepted that this war was started for the objective of oil revenue from Iraqi reservoirs . Conquer Iraq and get the largest piece of the pie. Bush had no other desire than that.

The government of Iraq is being blamed for not unifying the Sunnis, the Shiites and the Kurds. In the next 50 years, they will never be unified. The Iraqis know of Bush's objective, and so does Osama bin Laden. They do not want us there. Every time the sects at least talk of compromise, the terrorists attack.

Must countless more lives be lost there to protect the investments of the U.S. oil magnates?

Madelyn Olds, Las Vegas