Do They Read Der Speigel In The White House?

Yet there are strong advocates inside the administration, including the White House, for appropriating the oil funds as "spoils of war,� according to a source who has been briefed by participants in the dialogue.

"There are people in the White House who take the position that it's all the spoils of war,� said the source, who asked not to be further identified. "We [the United States] take all the oil money until there is a new democratic government [in Iraq].�

The source said the Justice Department has urged caution. "The Justice Department has doubts,� he said. He said department lawyers are unsure "whether any of it [Iraqi oil funds] can be used or has to all be held in trust for the people of Iraq.�

Another source who has worked closely with the office of Vice President Dick Cheney said that a number of officials there too are urging that Iraq's oil funds be used to defray the cost of occupation. -- Newsday, via Mark A.R. Kleiman