Bush Officials Condoned Regional Iraqi Oil Deal

And the plot thickens.  Check out this article by Steven Mufson from the Washington Post:

Contract Contradicted State Dept.’s Public Stance

Bush administration officials told Hunt Oil last summer that they did not object to its efforts to reach an oil deal with the Kurdish regional government in northern Iraq, even while the State Department was publicly expressing concern that such contracts could undermine a national Iraqi petroleum law, according to documents obtained by a House committee.

Last fall, after the deal was announced, the State Department said that it had tried to dissuade Hunt Oil from signing the contract with Kurdish regional authorities but that the company had proceeded “regardless of our advice.” Although Hunt Oil’s chief executive has been a major fundraiser for President Bush, the president said he knew nothing about the deal.

Read the full article:  http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/02/AR2008070203322_pf.html

I guess oil is thicker than blood these days.