The difference between two nuclear threats–Oil

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the hypocrisy of our nation’s foreign policy. That same week, North Korea revealed that it had a nuclear weapons program, in violation of a 1994 agreement with the United

Two weeks ago, I wrote about the hypocrisy of our nation’s foreign policy.

That same week, North Korea revealed that it had a nuclear weapons program, in violation of a 1994 agreement with the United States.

Ah ha! A member of the “Axis of Evil” with an admitted program to create nukes.

Time to invade!

Right?

Wrong.

Apparently, North Korea does not fit into the same category as Iraq, even though President Bush placed the two together in his oft-quoted State of the Union address.

According to National Security Advisor Condoleezea Rice, Iraq stands apart because, “Saddam Hussein…is the only leader to have actually used a weapon of mass destruction against his own people, against his neighbors.”

Well, Harry Truman did use the A-bomb against Japan, but who’s keeping track?

The Bush administration has assured us that a diplomatic solution can be found, and that the 37,000 troops stationed in South Korea are enough to contain any threat from North Korea.

Why then is this not enough for Iraq?

We have thousands of troops in the Persian Gulf region who are more than enough to contain Hussein should he decide to attack his neighbors.

Perhaps a better excuse would have been: “Saddam Hussein has oil, Kim Jong Il (North Korea’s president) does not.”

While the upcoming war on Iraq is not solely about oil, it is a major consideration.

In an Oct. 11 New York Times article, it was revealed that the United States is planning to occupy and run Iraq for at least a year after the successful conclusion of the war.

This is presumably before we install the puppet regime.

The kicker here is that the U.S. military would be in control of the world’s second-largest supply of oil.

Who better to ensure a steady supply of cheap oil to the world than the world’s number one energy consumer?

North Korea is probably safe, at least until we kill or depose Hussein.

Hussein is the current Face of Evil, now that Osama bin Laden has dropped off of the map.

In the months leading up to the recently passed Congressional resolutions that gave Bush the power to invade Iraq, the Bush administration had been downplaying bin Laden, saying that he was not important in the grand scheme of things.

What is important is that we have a visible enemy.

In the end, it doesn’t matter if bin Laden is dead or alive.

He is no longer making videos or ranting in public.

The Bushies need a visible enemy if they want to keep public attention focused on The Crusade and away from the faltering economy and the massive loss of civil rights here at home.

In the past weeks, Bush and other administration officials have been taking a slightly less belligerent stance.

However, I doubt that this will last.

Dubya needed to turn up the heat on Democrats, who feared that a vote against the Iraq resolution would cost them their reelection campaigns.

For now, the war talk will quiet down, until it is time to launch the new phase in our never-ending war against all that is evil, bad and downright un-American.


Brian White can be reached at zapata@temple.edu

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