A Thousand Talking Points of Light

[tw]

Ignoring those whose proof is to insult; a best slice of information was provided by MrVisible. Other sources estimate that Iraqi oil industry corruption is $billions per year; much finances a massive insurgency. The bottom line is that Iraq is even a net importer of oil as even this Internatonal Herald Tribune article of 4 Jun 2006 demonstrates:

Attacks on Iraq oil industry aid vast smuggling scheme
Iraq spent $4 billion to $5 billion in 2005 to import fuel from abroad. Alak's research indicates that because of the huge price incentives, between 10 percent and 30 percent of that fuel is smuggled out of the country again. ...

Even at the low end, that would mean smuggling costs account for almost 10 percent of Iraq's gross domestic product, $29.3 billion in 2005. ...

The sellers make a huge profit: of about $1 billion spent on black market fuels by Iraqi households in 2005, an estimated $800 million went straight into profits for those who run the illicit network. ...

Col. Larry D. McCallister, a commander of the Army Corps of Engineers in southern Iraq, said Iraqi construction workers were regularly attacked while trying to build a new Iraqi coast guard post along that shoreline because they happened to find themselves at a prime smuggling location. ... once the crews recognized their predicament, they negotiated with the smugglers, who eventually agreed to move their operation a short distance up the coast.

Don't confront the smuggling. Corruption and loss of security is too widespread. Instead, they negotiated with smugglers to move their operation. This is a country that will successfully nuture a democracy? This Herald Tribune article is consistent with numerous other reports from Iraq. The world's second largest source of oil is even a net importer.