MISSION ACCOMPLISHED BABY!

Just like Maddow said today:

Iraq to Open Oil-Field Bidding
Big Companies to Compete for Exploration, Production Rights


By Jonathan
Stearns and Glen Carey
Bloomberg News
Thursday, April 17, 2008; Page D06

Iraq will open at least six major oil and natural-gas fields for exploration and production in the first bidding for licenses since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

Iraq, which pre-qualified international oil companies this week for the bidding, will open the southern fields of Rumaila North, Rumaila South, West Qurna and Zubair for exploration, Oil Minister Hussain al-Shahristani said in an interview in Brussels yesterday. In the north, international oil companies will be invited to develop the Kirkuk oil field and the Akkaz gas field.

"At least six giant fields will be included, including some gas fields," Shahristani said. "There will be other bid rounds next year, and more companies will be qualified as we go along."

[...]

Iraq pre-qualified 35 of 120 U.S., European and Asian companies that submitted documents between Jan. 9 and Feb. 18 to participate in the licensing round, Oil Ministry spokesman Asim Jihad said Monday.

Exxon Mobil, the world's largest oil company, and Europe's two biggest, Royal Dutch Shell and BP, were among the 35, as were ConocoPhillips, Chevron and Total. Others included Russia's Gazprom, the world's largest natural-gas producer, and Lukoil, the Russian oil producer with the most overseas assets. Mitsubishi and Inpex Holding of Japan and China's Sinochem were also accepted.

Pre-qualified.

4000+ US troops, 90K documented civilian deaths (that's just the documented ones), 30k+ "official" wounded, civil war, instability in the region, torture, destroyed US credibility in the world so that Exxon, Shell, Chevron, Philips, and BP could be pre-qualified.

There's a special ring in Hell reserved for them.