Michelle Bachman wants Iraq to pay the U.S. for invading them

Which could be a valid argument, if it wasn't a) coming from a completely erroneous position (that the American presence there has been wanted, or positive), and b) wouldn't cause far more problems for the US's image around the world.

edited 12th Nov '11 10:34:40 PM by tropetown

You generally can't demand payment out of an unsolicited favor. Yeah, Iraqis as a whole are less oppressed than under Saddam... But I don't think the improvement is worth 800 billion bucks, which the Iraqis don't have anyway.

edited 12th Nov '11 7:29:00 AM by SavageHeathen

Plus, if the US did actually act in the manner that Michelle Bachmann seems to be convinced they did, forcing them to pay that much money would render all of that moot, since it would financially ruin the country they "liberated".

Yeah: You don't get to charge formerly occupied/liberated countries unless you make them into a local version of Denmark. Even then, you only get as much tribute as the country can comfortably afford.

Well, considering the tax on cars in Denmark is above 100%, thta theoretical country could pay lots of $$$.

Oh, they have it.

Oil. It's all about the oil. Remember, Operation Iraqi Liberation?

Iraq has fucktons of oil that has not been tapped. When she says "Iraq should pay reparations," she's really saying "Iraq should give us lots of free oil so we don't have to put any focus on my oil company backers or develop alternative energies and lose said oil company backers their profits!"

It might be about the oil with Bachmann - she just lost all my respect with this one - but I don't know whether you've noticed that Bush never stole it in the first place?

I imagine Bush Cheney got off well enough simply on giving the Iraqis "civilization and democracy," but we must also account for the fact that Iraq (predictably) went very poorly compared to how they said it would.

It's quite possible they just didn't get the chance to go to "give us all your shit" mode.

But wouldnt getting free oil absolutely murder oil company profits?

Oh, that's probably just how she'll sell it to the people. Populist rhetoric, remember?

Who knows what the oil companies would actually charge for it once she gets elected (in theory) and they get their grubby little paws on all that black gold?

Them and God. That's about it. The rest of us can even comprehend the numbers.

Everyone knows plentiful supply among several companies equates to horrific prices, after all?

When one means free oil, thats free oil (i.e. royalties free) to the companies. Companies charge the same and pocket the difference from not paying the Iraqis.

A) We're all talking hypotheticals anyway. B) That's not how it works in countries that subsidize oil as a matter of course.

Yeah... about that "free oil"...

We didn't say who it would be "free" for...

Neither did Michelle Bachmann - in fact, she didn't actually say anything about oil. She might not actually know about the Iraqi coffers.

I was going to say something that began with "because anyone with common sense would think—" but this is Bachmann, so I guess I shouldn't go by the "reasonable person" legal standard, should I?

Probably not, sad to say. There's really no smart and benign interpretation of this statement.

these companies really make me see why so many people liked communism. It dosn't make me like it, but it shows the flaws.

I really think there need to be some sort of cap on what the management can earn compared to the empolyees.

I think you clicked on the wrong thread?

Alright. It seems that the Republican candidate field is rapidly becoming the Real Life Incompetence, Inc., not just Bachmann. Mr. Perry forgetting which departments to cut, Cain confusing India with China. Oh yes. My mother sincerely hopes that Obama will be reelected instead of these folks taking his place, as they not only don't understand foreign policy (Iraq paying for the invasion? Really, Mrs. Bachmann?), they semm to be running for the wrong office too - all their proposals are economics