Read a book

I've been reading House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World's Two Most Powerful Dynasties, looking to get a bead on where Michael Moore gleaned his supposition that the Bush family and the royal Saudies and the bin Laden (or Binladen) families have been connected for decades. Mostly, it is making me feel my extraordinary impotence in the political system, peppered with moments of sheer disgust. One of those moments came on pp. 79-80:

The bipartisan bill [the Prevention of Genocide Act, 1988] passed the Senate unanimously just one day after it was introduced. But thanks to Colin Powell and Dick Cheney, it never became law. "Secretary of State Colin Powell was then the national security adviser who orchistrated Ronald Reagan's decision to give Hussein a pass for gassing the Kurds," Galbraith wrote. "Dick Cheney, then a prominent Republican congressman...could have helped pass the sanctions legislation, but did not."

(Peter Galbraith: senior advisor to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee)

The Act stated simply that the U.S should: "impose sanctions on Iraq as long as Iraq continues to use chemical weapons and to pursue a campaign of genocide against the Kurdish people." The Senate passed it unanimously (UNANIMOUSLY!), and the first Bush administration squashed it? Later that year, Iran and Iraq declared a cease fire. Five days after that, Hussein used chemical weapons in Iraqi Kurdistan. President George H.W. Bush's reaction? He facilitated more loans to Hussein's regime and its development of nuclear capability, use of chemical weapons, and other military buildup. Good plan, George.

And why? Well, to protect U.S oil interests in Saudi Arabia, of course. Makes perfect sense. Enable the psycho, get cheap oil. Nevermind about what the psycho will do later. Later isn't our problem. (Oops.)