Predicting the end of the age of oil can be a sticky business. The Association for the Study of Peak Oil and Gas (Aspo), a collection of industry figures, politicians and academics, this week held its annual meeting at the Gulbenkian Museum in Lisbon.
From quiet beginnings three years ago, Aspo is no longer just "bubbling under" in being taken seriously. Delegates had to squeeze past no fewer than 10 documentary crews, a nest of television cameras and a phalanx of reporters just to grab their seat in the packed auditorium.
Cheney is a smart guy. He keeps Bush in the front lines taking the insults and fumbling over his lines, but there should be no question who's running things.
In this interview broadcast on C-Span in 1994 Cheney lays out the scenario of what would happen if we took out Saddam Hussein. He predicted our current situation to the t.
There were no surprises in Iraq. Cheney knew exactly what he was getting us into and yet he did it anyway.
With the stunning success achieved by the Bush administration in Iraf, it's surprising that the liberation of this little known country between Iraq and Iran has received so little attention.
"It's actually become something of a problem..." political analyst Peter Finch stated when we interviewed him. "With so many countries in the middle east eagerly waiting for us to liberate them, we just can't afford to fund what amounts to extended vacations for thousands of American soldiers."
"Ordering a troop withdrawal would reek havoc on moral." Said a high ranking military official speaking on the condition of anonymity. "The troops just don't want to leave."
With Bush set to start promoting his plan to oust the blood thirsty Czar of Tajikistan early next year, many believe that he may face difficulty convincing the American public that conquering another third world country could possibly be as fun as Iraf was.
"I think this is a perfect example of how the liberal media likes to spin the news." Said Rush Limbaugh in a recent show. "Iraf is proof that taking over other countries for no reason can be both fun and profitable, there's no reason Tajikistan would be any exeption, but all the liberals want to do is focus on the negative."