A Mission Truly Accomplished

In a 1998 interview, Osama bin Laden, the Saudi Terrorist organizer of the 9/11 World Trade Center Destruction and figure head leader of the Al Qaeda Movement, listed as one of his many grievances against the USA, that "Americans have stolen 36 Trillion Dollars from Muslims by purchasing oil at absurdly low prices".
At the time of the interview, crude oil was $11.00 a barrel.
He said at the time that he felt the real price should be arouind $144 a barrel.
This month heralded the altime high of $146 a barrel, a 13 fold increase in the price in the ten years since bin Laden made his statement.

One month after 9/11, the New York Times wrote of possible “nightmare” scenarios that would deliver bin Laden’s goal. Neela Banerjee warned that among the “misguided decisions” that would put oil supplies at risk would be “that the United States attacks Iraq.” The Times included this quote in its story:

“If bin Laden takes over and becomes king of Saudi Arabia, he’d turn off the tap,” said Roger Diwan, a managing director of the Petroleum Finance Company, a consulting firm in Washington. “He said at one point that he wants oil to be $144 a barrel” — about six times what it sells for now."

bin Laden didn't have to become "King of Saudi Arabia" to achieve his goal. Through the Bush administrations tragically misguided poliicies, we handed it to him. The chain of events surrounding the decision to invade Iraq sank the nation into trillion dollar debt to pay for the war crippled the dollar and caused oil prices to soar astronomically as a result.

Anne Korin, the co-director of the Institure for the Analysis of Global Security testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee last May. In her testimony, she reminded Congress:
"[A]bout ten years ago, Osama bin Laden stated that his target price for oil is $144 a barrel and that the American people, who allegedly robbed the Muslim people of their oil, owe each Muslim man, woman, and child $30,000 in back payments. At the time, $144 a barrel seemed farfetched to most.

I would like to impress upon this Committee that $144 a barrel oil will be perceived as a victory for the Jihadist movement and a reaffirmation that the economic warfare component of its campaign against the West is a resounding success. There is no need to elaborate on the implications of such a victory in terms of loss of U.S. prestige and our ability to prevail in the Long War of the 21st century."

I really don't like saying this, but to me, it sounds like Osama bin Laden is the person who really can say "Mission Accomplished!"