White House says it never heard about Iraq oil deal

Those documents flying off Capitol Hill from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform that raised questions about connections between one of President Bush's adivsors and Iraqi oil drew the verbal equivalent of blank stares this afternoon at the White House.

As we reported this morning, the panel chaired by Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) let loose with e-mails and letters delving into Hunt Oil's interest in oil fields in Kurdistan -- adding fuel to the debate over whether the United States' need for oil lay at the root of the Iraq war.

Asked whether anyone at the White House was aware that the oil company, of which Bush advisor Ray L. Hunt is chief executive, had been negotiating with the Kurdistan government, President Bush's press secretary, Dana Perino, above, said "I don't know of anybody who was aware of it."

She did acknowledge that the State Department was aware of the negotiations. Indeed, although the negotiations undercut U.S. government policy, the department did not try to stop the talks, according to the documents.

Perino was asked: "Is it unusual that somebody in the State Department wouldn't have told someone in the White House that this was going on, since this ran contrary to administration policy?"

Perino: "I'm not sure."

-- James Gerstenzang

Photo: Ron Edmonds / Associated Press

Comments

[Jon]

What a shocker. The Bush administration connected to Big Oil. The Bush junta lying and pretending they knew nothing and everything is well. Bush, Inc. is what you get for voting in the Texas Tyrant.

[Robert Laughing]

Reminds me of Sgt Schultz on Hogan's Heros' "I know nutttt-tingggggg!" Which, in bush's case is one SURE thing. Never did. Never will.

[Almost Angeleno]

So what is this...Bush Lie Number 999?

And to think this country was appalled about a lie over a blue dress.

[Red]

Please, someone, tell me what it will take for this country to send these CRIMINALS to trial for TREASON and WAR CRIMES???? Our Founding Father's would have had Bush, Cheney, etc... HUNG for what they've done to this country and to the rest of the world. I don't know that they would have even found a trial necessary given the blatant and in your face LIES they've told throughout their rule. When they all finally do die, I hope Washington, Franklin, Jefferson and the like are waiting for them, noose in hand.

[Paul]

Typical lies and B.S. we have all become accustom too with this Clown and his flunkies for the last 7 years.

[KS2 Problema]

Too bad nobody is paying attention to the what-should-be-shocking details of the Bush administration mis- and malfeasance.

Starting already and for years to come, the people who brought us this "Neocon revolution" have carefully begun to distance themselves from the specific individuals in the Bush administration, while trying to shift all the blame to "isolated" and non-ideological incompetence.

But what should not be lost to history is that the Bush administration drew from the best and brightest of the Neoconservatives, that its policies and programs were seen as demonstration projects to show the way forward to a new, Neoconservative dominated US.

It was not just the incompetence of the Neocons, however, that doomed the Bush administration. It was the very lack of real understanding of how things work in the real world and the insistence on ideology over pragmatism that lie at the heart of the Neoconservative philosophy.

[Robert Laughing]

So dont forget to vote for McCain...he's 'different.'

[Toobad]

On this Fourth of July, I look around and see what a disgrace this generation is to the history of America.

We have allowed corporations to place a strangle hold on the essence of the nation. Greed and self serving loyalty is the motto dejur.

Every serious issue the nation faces today can be directly traced to powerful corporations...with the head of the Bush Family at the top.

Destructive invasion of tens of millions of illegal aliens to feed the thirst for slave labor. A Fake War for hundreds of Billions in profiteering, along with a reward to the Saudis with a run up in oil.

Yes, there is very little to be thankful for this 4th.

Americans have lost their backbone.