As long as Saudi Arabia and the OPEC nations ... provide the bulk of the energy that is needed to turn the wheels of industry in the western world, there is no way that we can stand by and see that taken over by anyone that would shut off that oil.
President Ronald Reagan
Our jobs, our way of life, our own freedom, and the freedom of friendly countries around the world would all suffer if control of the world's great oil reserves fell into the hands of that one man Saddam Hussein.
President George H.W. Bush
You can watch our former presidents speak those words yourselves in this documentary called Blood and Oil. I have included part 3 of 6 below. President Reagan speaks starting at the 2:45 mark in describing the Central Command. President George H.W. Bush speaks starting at the 6:27 mark in a campaign to drum up support for sending troops into Saudi Arabia after Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait in 1990.
The entire 6 part series is here: http://www.youtube.com/user/deja035#p/u/10/cZh7c29QHS8
