An Empire of Oil

Norman Mailer discusses many topics which support his theory that flag-waving conservatives are pushing for world domination. There is very little evidence in my day to day life of any of these theories, save for one: oil. Amongst the most prevalent reasons for the war spouted by the general public is oil. The cries of "No blood for oil!" are common sights when the television is turned on. Mailer does not address this issue in any great length, citing it as merely a perk of world domination. Mailer quotes Ralph Nader in listing off the statistics of oil usage in America. Nader is quoted as saying "The United States consumes 19.5 million barrels a day, or 26% of daily global oil consumption. . . . The U.S. [has to import] 9.8 million barrels a day, or more than half the oil we consume...." This does not even begin to express exactly how massive an amount of oil that truly is. This oil is used for many things we use everyday such as plastics, lubricants and, the lifeblood of our nation, gasoline. Kerosene, ethane, jet and diesel are a few examples of fuels that are commonly produced from petroleum. Day to day life would be radically different without oil.

In the past several years, gas prices have been steadily on the rise. One may readily attribute this to the rising tensions that have been hyped in the media. It is a common assumption that gas prices have skyrocketed due to the war in Iraq. This is a misconception. According to the United States department of energy, Saudi Arabia is the world's largest producer of oil in the world, with over 11 million barrels per day, with Iraq producing under 2 million. With such a massive difference, Iraq seems nearly insignificant. These numbers have been relatively stable for years. Why then, do gas prices continue to rise? The answer is a fundamental economic principle: supply and demand. Those that possess the gasoline set the prices. The more we need gasoline, the higher the price we are willing to pay. Perhaps someone is taking advantage of a nation distracted by war and political turmoil in order to profit. Under the guise of Osama burning up our oil reserves whilst blowing up our troops, oil companies can gouge consumers and make a pretty penny off of a nation that blames the inflation on the evils that it's president brings to the surface.

Just because Iraq's oil production is extremely low compared to the top producers does not mean that it's potential for production is as well. Mailer quotes Nader by saying "The surest way for the U.S. to sustain its overwhelming dependence upon oil is to control the sixty-seven percent of the world's proven oil reserves that lie below the sands of the Persian Gulf. Iraq alone has proven reserves of 112.5 billion barrels, or 11% of the world's remaining supply. . . .Only Saudi Arabia has more." Mailer goes on to suggest that once we occupy Iraq, we will also gain a choke hold on Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East. The concept of making such a pervasive commodity such as gasoline cheaper is extremely appealing to Americans. I have no doubt that controlling Iraq would cheapen our gas prices, if only because it could no longer serve as a price-gouging scapegoat.

Norman Mailer and the Anti-Bush Bandwagon

Norman Mailer's book is a self-proclaimed explosive argument about George W. Bush's quest for empire. Included in this book is a speech that Mailer made to the Commonwealth club, a California-based club whose mission is to function as a national forum for political and social issues. During this speech, Mailer brings to light many issues with the government. The majority of these issues are with Bush himself. The most hefty of the accusations Mailer levels upon the president is that Bush seeks world domination.

Norman Mailer implies with no uncertainty that George Walker Bush seeks dominion over the entire world. Mailer offers no proof or examples of a lust for power, his only explanation being a speculation that Bush feels that the country is growing more dissolute. At this point Mailer begins to rant in what can only be seen as a ludicrous fashion. Not a shred of evidence is provided and no legitimate reasons for the behavior he accuses Bush of. I searched for some sort of justification, finding only inane logic and what-if reasoning.

From having read Mailer's book, I am almost incapable of believing that the man is being serious. His ludicrous opinions without any evidence to back them up lead me to believe that he may only be saying these things in order to elicit a shock or attention. In my experience, all it takes nowadays to fit into popular culture is a dislike of Bush. Apparently Mailer has decided that he would like to not only fit in, but to become an icon himself. For years those that dared to shock polite society have gained mass popularity. Bill O'Reilley, Ozzy Osbourne, Howard Stern and Marilyn Manson are but a few people who owe their fame to a career of shocking people with brash decisions and bold actions. I work for the Georgia Air National Guard under the title of SatCom. I recently had the pleasure of sitting in on a conference by General Mosely, commander of the Air National Guard. He brought up many issues about the war in Iraq, the conflicts in Iran, the threat China now poses to American satellites and the growing threat in North Korea. These issues are everyday concerns when there is an actual possibility of being involved in the war. According to the general, our goal in Iraq is to establish an Iraqi police force that is capable of maintaining the country by itself. Friends that I have in Security Forces that have been to Iraq have all been on local security missions to secure areas around bases or on guard detail for those bases. A little over half a year ago, I was working at Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia with the Army Signal Corps. I spoke to many soldiers, Marines while there. I also spoke to several seamen while at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Mississippi. From all of these people I received the same sort of stories. We are not working to expand any sort of influence in Iraq. We are working to provide the Iraqi police with the capabilities to defend themselves and secure a stabilized government under Iraqi control, not American. I believe that mistakes have been made in our government, but the blame is not to be lain solely on Bush. The president has many tactical military advisers that provide him with information on every facet of war fighting. There are financial advisers, political analysts, and intelligence specialists that help guide the president. All of these people would need to be corrupt in order to allow the president to make decisions that would lead to world domination. When 9/11 occurred, Bush found himself under tremendous pressure to find an outlet for the public's outrage. I will admit, he may have grasped at an answer, but this was not a solution that he came to all by himself. Mailer is a fool if he honestly thinks that Bush is after world domination.