Bush's New Reason For War??

I love all the blog's quoting Bush's new reason for going to war - you guessed it - for the Oil (Ex. 1, Ex. 2, Ex. 3, Ex. 4). Most of those examples and the others I've read, point to different articles all referencing the same AP wire story (via SFGate.com) written regarding a speech Bush gave on August 30th at the Naval Air Station North Island in Coronado, California. The quote everyone is running with is:

If Zarqawi and bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks; they'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions; they could recruit more terrorists by claiming an historic victory over the United States and our coalition.

Now, I'll admit that the President did mention protecting Iraqi oil fields from terrorists, but he's not saying that is the reason we went to war in Iraq.

Read a larger quote from the speech:

After September the 11th, 2001, we've taught the terrorists a very different lesson. America will not run in defeat, and we will not forget our responsibilities. We have brought down two murderous regimes. We're driving terrorists from their sanctuaries. We're putting the terrorists on the run all across the world.

The terrorists and insurgents are now waging a brutal campaign of terror in Iraq. They kill innocent men and women and children in the hopes of intimidating Iraqis. They're trying to scare them away from democracy. They're trying to break the will of the American people. Their goal is to turn Iraq into a failed state like Afghanistan was under the Taliban. If Zarqawi and bin Laden gain control of Iraq, they would create a new training ground for future terrorist attacks; they'd seize oil fields to fund their ambitions; they could recruit more terrorists by claiming an historic victory over the United States and our coalition.

Our goal is clear, as well. We will defeat the terrorists. We'll build a free Iraq that will fight terrorists instead of giving them aid and sanctuary. A free Iraq will offer people throughout the Middle East a hopeful alternative to the hateful ideology being peddled by the terrorists. A free Iraq will show that when America gives its word, America keeps its word.

That choice -- this is the choice we face: Do we return to the pre-September the 11th mind-set of isolation and retreat, or do we continue to take the fight to the enemy and support our allies in the broader Middle East? I've made my decision: We will stay on the offensive. We will stand with the people of Iraq, and we will prevail.

(Emphasis mine)

Bush is not outlining reasons for going to war. He's outlining the current situation and the reasons for staying the course and completing the mission. Why American's must resolve to continue this fight. Why we must not back down in the face of these terrorists. Why we must unite together take the fight to the terrorists.

He does not say we are there for the oil or even that we went for the oil. He says that if we fail, and if the terrorists take over Iraq, they will use it as a breeding ground for more terrorists. It will become a safe haven much like Afghanistan used to be. Terror Training camps will be established there and the leaders of the terrorist organizations will fund their terror campaigns using the oil fields of Iraq.

Click here to see the entire text of the speech.

Tags: Bush Speech on Iraq Oil, Oil Reason for War, Iraq War, Oil, Iraqi Oil