Well, it's taken long enough, but the New York Times and the BBC have finally found that "blood for oil" story they've been dying to print for over a year. Only... it took place in 1973.

"The United States government seriously contemplated using military force to seize oil fields in the Middle East during the Arab oil embargo 30 years ago, according to a declassified British government document made public on Thursday," reported the New York Times. Not to be outdone, the BBC chimed in, "The papers, released under the 30-year-rule, show that the British government took the threat so seriously that it drew up a detailed assessment of what the Americans might do."  Thirty-year-old invasion plans for a war that never took place?  Stop the presses!

So, this "story" is predicated on 30-year-old contingency plans drawn up by the British government about what they (the Brits) might do just in case the oil problem in America came to blows?  Maybe someone should clue these "reporters" in... governments have entire armies of people whose job it is to draw up contingency plans to cover the most implausible scenarios, just in case.  Of course there were British plans for action in case the United States decided to invade the Middle East.  There are probably plans for action in case Elvis returns from the Crab Nebula at the head of an invasion force of intelligent bees, too.  Does that mean it's a serious possibility?  Of course not.  Keep in mind this is based on a British assesment of what the Americans might do, not actual American plans.  But just on the off-chance it ever did happen, the British government had it covered.  Just because the government makes a plan of what to do in case an event takes place, does not mean the event is or was certain to happen.  The kind of people who seriously believe that the United States was -- in 1973 or 2003 -- going to invade the Middle East to sieze its oil are the kind of wacko conspiracy theorists that would believe the plans to deal with the bee invasion mean it's coming too. If the government has plans to stop it, it must be real, right?

The New York Times and the BBC are obviously still beating the anti-war, anti-America drums as hard as they can.  But if THIS is the best they can do, I think it's safe to say the Leftists are losing their grip.