Flashback: 36 years ago-- October, 1973. The "Yom Kipper" Arab-Isreali war breaks out. The OPEC nations -- retaliating against the U.S. for its support of Israel-- quadruple world oil prices to 12 dollars/ barrel, having declared an embargo upon all overseas deliveries to American ports.

Overnight, gas rocketed from 34.9 to 55.9 cents a gallon. Gasoline stations couldn't get deliveries. Purchases were limited to 10 gallons. Americans experienced their first bitter taste of gas lines. Everyone began selling their beloved, tire-scorching, premium-gas-guzzling muscle cars for "economy" vehicles.

Between 1971 to1973, the U.S had already begun importing nearly 40% of its oil-- all of it from OPEC. America then entered into one of its deepest-ever recessions, not to recover for 3 long years.

In 1955, Arabian light crude sold for $2.08 a barrel.

In 1961, the price dropped backed to $1.80, prompting Western industrial  nations to switch from coal (to oil) as their main energy source--exposing themselves economically and politically at the hands of OPEC.

Then, October 1978-- a shock heard round the world: the Shah's overthrow, and Ayatollah Khomeini's rise to power-- the origin of radical Islam-- and the intractable problem it would present to the Western world to this present day.

After 1979, "Khomeinism" was exported: Shiite fundamentalist sects were organized using Iranian petro-dollars. Had Khomeini not assumed power, Islamic fundamentalism may not have realized its eventual outgrowth-- the war on terror.

And behind it all was oil. The petro-dollars we were sending to Iran enabled Khomeini (and his heirs) to export their brand of radical Islam, with its ultimate goal of destroying Israel, and its evil supporter America-- the "Great Satan." 

Since 1979-- because of Iran's huge oil revenues-- Islamic fundamentalism has since expanded at a chilling pace:

--In 1991, Iran's government used a $500 million "grant" to send 1,300 fundamentalist "preachers" (agents) to "convert" the newly-independent Muslim republics of Central Asia.

--In the last 5 years, Iran has spent $100 million annually to reinforce and maintain their operatives in Lebanon (Hezbollah) and in the Palestinian territories (Hamas).

--Iranain oil money has also paved the way for fundamentalism's growth in the Asian and pan-African world. Indonesia's population is over 90 percent Muslim. Half of Nigeria's population is Muslim; and western European countries are now "parallel" societies. 

--Iran is currently scattering hundreds of agents in the near and far reaches of the Mideast, covertly spreading Shiite Islamic beliefs in Sunni-majority countries, and setting up terrorist cells at an all-out pace to subvert the entire region. 

Despite Iran's outward appearances, Bush (in his "axis of evil" speech) had it nailed: the Iranians are avowed, implacable enemies of America. They have the determination (and plan) to execute America's eventual downfall-- using their oil "weapon."

A prime example has been the war in Iraq, and how Iran used the conflict to weaken the United States economically.

Since the late 1990's, Iran has used its oil money (on the black market) and has been diverting sophisticated, American-made electronics into the Mideast region-- in violation of a 1995 ban. These electronics were then used to equip roadside bombs (I-E-D's) with remote-controlled detonators ---accounting for about 70 PERCENT of all American combat deaths in Iraq.

And Iranian-sponsored "imported" suicide bombers (from Lebanon) were used to inflame the war to its 2007 peak, resulting in the Pentagon having to commit an additional 300 billion dollars from its budget-- money that America could ill afford. 

Iran then used their agents within al Jazeera (the official Islamic TV network) to place the blame on al-Qaida, throwing the CIA completely off the "scent."

 
Should the American military completely exit Iraq in 2010, it’s a preview of what’s to come: the Iranians could step in and precipitate a much worse situation than during the pre-war Saddam era-- nullifying all political gains by the Iraqi infant democracy-- and replace it all with a Shiite theocracy.

It all goes back in 1978, when a naive and trusting  Jimmy Carter was blind to the real threat--Ayatollah Khomeini's ambitions of an oil-funded, religious-inspired domination of the entire Mideast...and beyond.

In a remarkably parallel situation, it's the equally naive Barack Obama-- facing Iran's Ayatollah Khameini-- who ignores Mideast history at our peril, and seeks a "season of new beginnings," and talked of Iran's "rightful place in the community of nations" in his 2009 New Year's speech.  

Then, in his speech at Cairo, Mr. Obama all but expected his words of conciliation to literally "rock the entire Islamic world" and possibly be a deciding factor in the Iranian presidential election. 

But in his egotistical arrogance, Obama denies reality: no matter whom the Iranians had chosen to elect as president, there would be no change in foreign policy. The religious Mullahs long ago had made up their minds they would use subversion-- plus oil revenues-- to fuel their nuclear weapons program, and continually undermine Mideast regional stability.

As Obama continually refuses to drill for U.S. domestic oil (and is content to send borrowed petro-dollars to the Mideast)-- it is here where he becomes a pawn in Iranain  hands: 

Once Iran eventually become the defacto regional power, it then becomes a replay of 1973-- a sudden Mideast oil embargo -- the price of crude quadruples to perhaps $250-300 per barrel, and defeats the U.S. in a way that only Iran sees...America's economic bankruptcy, where we can no longer supply our military-- nor our nation-- with energy to run our economy, or defend our overseas interests.

The Iranian Mullahs have but one objective toward their Great Satan Western enemy..."we shall overcome."

 www.keenobserver.blogtownhall.com