(Blood & Oil – documentary – 52 min – directed by Jeremy Earp – narrated by Michael T. Klare)

If you want to understand how the US got into the predicament we're in with oil and the wars we fight to get it, Blood & Oil, the Media Education Foundation's newest documentary, is required viewing.

(Full Disclosure: Jeremy Earp and his team at MEF were instrumental in the making of FOX ATTACKS! Iran. They provided much of the early FOX footage during the lead up to the Iraq war, and I'll always be grateful for their assistance.)

Last year, I reviewed MEF's terrific documentary, War Made Easy: How Presidents and Pundits Keep Spinning Us to Death, and was mightily impressed with the long, non-partisan view of how the media and the US government convinces Americans of the "necessity" of going to war. After seeing Blood & Oil, I now realize that this long view might be MEF's signature strength. Narrated by Michael T. Klare, correspondent for the Nation and one of the world's top experts on energy and security issues, B&O takes you through the complete history of America and oil, from when the US produced nearly 100% of its own oil (and used it to win World War II) up to the embarrassing, self-destructive mess we now find ourselves in, where more and more of our paychecks go towards buying an increasing amount of oil from governments that don’t like us.

While WME did a fantastic job of smashing the myth of a “liberal” media that is oddly enthusiastic about repeating the government’s warmongering propaganda, B&O dispels the right wing myth that the US never goes to war for oil. From FDR to Jimmy Carter to the Bushes to Bill Clinton, America’s hunger for and pursuit of oil has been at the heart of US foreign policy for the past 60 years. Like WME, B&O lets no party or administration off the hook. The film contains footage, declassified documents, and excerpts from presidential doctrines to show that the US government has long believed that control over the world’s dwindling supply of oil is worth sacrificing countless American lives and dollars while supporting some of the world’s most repressive, anti-democratic regimes.

The idea that the US goes to war for oil is not a liberal conspiracy theory — it’s America’s officially-stated foreign policy. In most cases, America’s foreign policy and energy policy are virtually indistinguishable. The problem is that Americans overwhelmingly do not view oil as a suitable reason to go to war, which is why “freedom”, “new Hitler”, and “WMDs” becomes the justification while we give billions of dollars a year to a country that forbids women to drive.

Recent history also shows that the US government is not the only entity willing to go to war over oil or exploit America’s addiction to it. After the first gulf war, America left Saddam Hussein in power, providing justification for the first Bush administration to welch on their deal with the Saudis and leave American troops in Saudi Arabia indefinitely to protect Saudi oil from the lingering “threat” from Iraq. This, of course, enraged many Saudis, including Osama bin Laden, who used the occupation of holy Saudi land as a major justification for his campaign against the US and its allies. Let's not forget that almost a decade ago, bin Laden claimed that Americans “have stolen $36 trillion from Muslims” by buying oil at artificially low prices, and that the true price of oil should be $144 a barrel (the US was paying just $11/barrel in 1998). Not only has the Bush administration allowed Al Qaeda to use oil as a weapon, they’ve provided the ammo, loaded it, and aimed it at our economy.

While the tone of B&O struck me as a bit drier than WME, it zips along at a trim 52 minutes and is jam-packed with important information that will help you understand how the US got in the oily mess we’re in today. Sadly, one of the questions left unanswered by Blood & Oil (and sure to be puzzled over by generations to come) is how the US government, knowing full well that oil would become increasingly scarce, did not mobilize the country to seek alternatives.