Fox News ran an hour-long program Sunday night on the entirely corrupt Iraq "Oil for Food" program run by the United Nations. In short: Saddam Hussein and the U.N. lied; Americans died (and continue dying).
It began as a U.N. humanitarian aid program called "Oil-for-Food," but it ended up with Saddam Hussein pocketing billions to become the biggest graft-generating machine ever and enriching some of America's most forceful opponents at the United Nations.Plus, some evidence suggests that some of the money ended up in the hands of potential terrorists who are opposed to the United States.
“I believe the U.N., parts of it, have been corrupt for years. But this went to a whole new level,” said Rep. Christopher Shays, R-Conn., chairman of the House Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations.
Shays is leading one of several Oil-for-Food probes by the federal government. The General Accountability Office has already pegged Saddam’s Oil-for-Food take at $10.1 billion. It could end up being a lot more.
Shays says Iraqis aren't the only victims -- Americans are too.
“We're talking about American lives that are being lost in an attempt to bring democracy to Iraq,” Shays said. If France, Russia, China and Germany had told Saddam it was time to back down and honor his commitments, Shays said it’s possible the United Stations may not have needed to go to war against Saddam.
But why did these countries really object to a second U.S.-led war against Iraq?
Some evidence suggests that those countries that said they were opposing the Bush administration on principle were actually making billions from Oil-for-Food.
“I think clearly, American blood is in the hands of a number of European countries, who could have put pressure on Saddam, who could've looked him in the eye and said, ‘the United States is coming in,'" Shays said. “And to me, some of the explanation clearly has to be the Oil-for-Food program.”
Shays added that there is a chance some of the insurgents now operating against the United States and the new Iraqi government are using Oil-for-Food money in their terror campaign.
“I think it's not only possible that insurgents are using Oil-for-Food money -- I think it's very likely,” Shays said.
The sordid history of this program is not a breaking news story, but Fox News is providing a valuable public service in making it even more prominent.
Related:
• Fox News "Raw Data" - recommended readings
• Claudia Rosett - Strip Poker
• Claudia Rosett - Drip, Drip, Drip
• Claudia Rosett - Oil-for-Terror
• William Safire - The great oil-for-food cash cow
• House Committee on International Relations - April 2004 Hearing (pdf)
• United Nations - Office of the Iraq Programme Oil-for-Food