Cheney Makes the case against Iraq.

What left wing non-sense? Those are cold hard facts. They list what percentages of the subsidiaries Haliburton owned. They list the amount of money done in business with Iraq. Because those FACTS appear on a left wing website doesn't mean they aren't still FACTS.

Also one of the links was a speech given by Cheney himself. That certainly isn't left wing.

Sorry, but the old 'that argument isn't valid because it's from 'left wing' sources won't work here.

As far as saying that he built up the value of Haliburton and that was his job... I won't argue with you that he did build up the value of Haliburton. However, people with ethical standards won't build up the value of a company when the way of building up that company, is doing business with terrorists. Those deals helped Saddam rebuild his oil business which was destroyed after the Gulf War. It doesn't bother Cheney that Khadaffi has to pay families for the civilian airplane he blew up killing all those innocents.

Are you actually saying it's ok to do business with those people despite the fact that it's against the law, and helps the govts. that support terrorism? You believe that's ok because it also puts money in the pockets of Haliburton Shareholders?

Well not all of the transactions were legal. Haliburton was fined for doing business with Libya, so that wasn't actually legal.

I have admitted from the very beginning that the deals with Iraq were legal. My contention is that doing business with dictators and oppressors like Saddam Hussein, might be legal, it doesn't make it ethical. It also makes it hypocritical to do business with Saddam one day, which helps him build up his wounded oil industry and revive his economy, and then to turn around and talk about how Saddam's so bad that it's worthwhile to send soldiers to die over there, the next day.

Anyone who thinks it's ok to do business with govts. that support terrorism, even when it's against U.S. law(Libya) I don't have to claim he doesn't take terrorism seriously. All I have to do is point out the facts, and it's painfully obvious that he didnt' take terrorism seriously. Why would anyone who takes terrorism seriously do business with terrorists or govts. that support terrorism, and then complain about sanctions that hamper him from doing business with those govts.?

 

Those sales helped Saddam rebuild his oil industry. Yes Cheney made money, but Saddam was helped as well.

I think that's the whole problem. It's fine for Haliburton to make money, but not at the expense of doing business with govts. that support terrorism.

Of course he can refuse to do business with Iraq. Maybe if he had, and other corporations from around the world had refused to do business with Iraq, Saddam would already have been toppled, or weakened enough that the forces inside Iraq could do the job on their own.

In Cheney's speech he actually complained about sanctions against nations that support terrorism were getting in the way of him making money. That reeks of someone who has there priorities on money rather than principles and stopping terrorism.

 

TJ,

The Smoot Hawly Tarrif Act is the one that messed up foreign trade, and worsened the depression. I'm already familiar with that one. I'm not against all foreign trade, or huge protective tarrifs. But I'm also strongly against terrorism, and when someone does business with govts. that support terrorism, I find it reprehensible. When that person is the number two man in our Govt. I'm shocked. When that person then lies about it, and is hypocrytical enough to send OTHER people in to overthrow the people he was doing business with, it's shameful.

GE does business with Iraq. I don't think that's admirable of them, but at least they admit it.

TJ - I suggest you do some research on govts. that support terrorism, specifically Libya, Iran, and Iraq. Report on all the damage they've done to innocents in the U.S. and other countries around the world.

For extra credit you can do a paper about ethics.

 

Cheney did help rebuild it when he was the CEO of Haliburton. He's no longer the leader. But of course overthrowing the current govt. in Iraq will require even more rebuilding and even more possible contracts for Haliburton and others. I'm not saying that's the reason why Cheney wants to invade Iraq, but it's true that people in the oil industry have a lot to gain from that invasion.

My point is that if Bush wants to make the case for invading Iraq, Cheney is the worst possible person to use. I actually think that invading Iraq will strongly hurt our war against terrorism. Which is why, at least at this time, I think the invasion is a bad idea. But even if it was the greatest idea in the world, Cheney is the last person to make the case for it.

That may be the case now, but it wasn't the case as recently as 1998. Saddam didn't all of a sudden turn into a bad guy. Hussein has been a bad guy all the time.

Yes and Henry Ford who did business with Hitler is widely regarded by historians as first class jerk for that kind of thing. Only Henry Ford hadn't served in an administration that was just at war with Hitler, and didn't go on to serve in another administration that wanted to then destroy Hitler. If people hadn't done business with Germany, and cut Hitler off from the beginning, maybe a lot of misery and hell could have been avoided.

I'm not saying that business should have stopped with every single country that has human rights issues, and I didn't really go into his dealings with Burma, Angola, Nigeria, etc.

But Khadaffi is supposed to have been behind the bombing of the West German Disco bombing. Iran had the hostages, and are said to sponsor terrorism around the world. Iraq was currently being sanctioned, wouldn't give weapons inspectors access, gassed their own people, and appeared to be enemy number one. Those are certainly three countries to avoid doing business with. Those are three countries that Cheney did business with, putting money above principles.

Sorry if your stock portfolio would take such a huge hit, because someone decided not to do business with those kinds of govts. I just think some things are more improtant than stock portfolios.

Doing business with those countries is incredibly unpatriotic. Again it's not every country's wrongs against the U.S. that rise to the level of Iran, Libya, and Iraq. Cheney as CEO showed complete disregard for any sort of priniciple other than making money. If making money is the be-all and end-all then he's a great man, and did a great job. But if ethics, and values and not doing business with the country's enemies enter into it, then Cheney should be ashamed.

Of course if money is the only responsiblity Major had a great point about selling stuff to Al-Qaeda. Hey we can't cut everyone off because they've done something bad to America right?

 

Haha! Yes you are correct. I stand reprimanded for stating the obvious.