What a Banker: “There’s a lot of money to pay for this (war) that doesn’t have to be U.S. taxpayer money, and it starts with the assets of the Iraqi people…and on a rough recollection, the oil revenues of that country could bring between $50 (billion) and $100 billion over the course of the next two or three year….. We’re dealing with a country that can really finance its own reconstruction, and relatively soon.” [Source: House Committee on Appropriations Hearing on supplemental war spending, 3/27/03]
“Relatively soon”: Hey, everything is relative. Rome wasn’t build or destroyed in a day.

War in Iraq Costs: A Half-Trillion-Dollars and Counting: Receipts for the war in Iraq to will soon be ringing up to $564 billion, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service.
Iran meets Iraq over oil pipeline: US-led occupation authorities in Iraq have backed plans to build an oil pipeline to Iran to help speed up the flood of oil out of the country. (BBC 03/01/04)
Iraq invites oil bids from Iran: Iraq has invited Iranian firms to bid for contracts to build at least four oil refineries across the country, Iraq’s oil ministry said on Wednesday in a sign of growing ties with the United States’ regional foe. (Arabianbusiness.com 05/17/07)
Energy Independence: Imagine President Bush announcing a national plan to achieve US energy independence by 2011 the day after the 9-11 attack in 2001. We may have already been half way there in reaching the goal.