Why Iraqis might not appreciate a Jewish senator from Michigan telling them to change regimes again

Besides the obvious. David Bacon writes in SF Gate about the proposed Iraq oil law, written for them on behalf of the US oil companies and the only benchmark that Levin and his fellow imperialists really care about, and why it is so unpopular among Iraqis.

Because of its actions, the oil workers union has become one of the strongest voices of Iraqi nationalism, protecting an important symbol of Iraq's national identity, and, more important, the only source of income capable of financing the country's post-occupation reconstruction.

U.S. legislators trying to impose the oil law might note that they are requiring the Iraqi government to betray one of the few reasons Iraqis have for supporting it--its ability to keep oil revenue in public hands.

There's a lot more in the article about the history of unions in Iraq--how they flourished from the time of independence in 1958 until the rise of Saddam two decades later. Saddam suppressed the unions, which nevertheless reappeared almost immediately after the US invasion in 2003. Since then, the Americans and the various puppet regimes have been working tirelessly to re-repress the unions--outlawing collective bargaining for starters. The unions know that the US demand for privatization of the oil and other industries means the loss of control of the most important parts of whatever economy manages to build when/if the US ever leaves.

But Levin and the other imperialists don't care: Do what we want or get out of the way.

Scumbags.

(Via Winter Patriot)