Their plans go far beyond war on Iraq.

They want to multiply military spending, create a "U.S. Space Force" to militarize outer space and completely control "cyberspace," target China, Iran, Syria and Libya for "regime change," test and build new nuclear weapons, consider developing biological weapons, undermine the United Nations, "fight and decisively win multiple, simultaneous major theatre wars" and maintain American global superiority at all costs in order "to shape a new century favorable to American principles and interests."

Sound like a conspiracy theory? It's not. The relevant interests have conveniently declared their positions on the Web site of the think-tank, Project for the New American Century (www.newamericancentury.org). Check it out.

Nor are these the rants and ravings of irrelevant fanatics. This group has defined the ideology behind the current U.S. foreign policy. The powerful signatories to the Project's "Statement of Principles" include: President Bush's brother, Jeb, Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz (Rumsfeld's deputy secretary) and Lewis Libby (Cheney's chief of staff) — none of whom was elected by the people of the United States.

In fact, the true rationale for the war on Iraq has never been examined or discussed by we, the people, largely because it has been shrouded in secrecy and masked by absurd hints at a connection between Saddam and Osama bin Laden or by disingenuous justifications such as eliminating weapons of mass destruction (which, high-ranking American and British officials recently admitted, may not even exist). The real goal of our leaders has been American control of the Gulf all along, as evidenced by a 2000 report released by the Project entitled, "Rebuilding America's Defenses: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New Century."

As this report makes clear, Bush's cabinet planned the takeover of Iraq long before the attacks on the World Trade Center. They were not even motivated by the human rights abuses of Saddam's regime. On the contrary, they wrote, "The need for a substantial American force presence in the Gulf transcends the issue of the regime of Saddam Hussein."

Why? The New American Century strategists want to promote "American principles and interests." It is not immediately clear what this phrase means, especially given the domestic opportunity costs of maintaining a warlike posture throughout the world and the diplomatic costs of alienating old allies (not to mention the human costs of burnt and blown up Americans, Brits and Iraqis).

A little context makes it clear enough, however. Halliburton, the energy conglomerate of which Cheney was recently CEO, was awarded a lucrative contract to work in Iraqi oil fields just last week. Other U.S. companies with ties to the administration have been offered similarly juicy deals in the "reconstruction" of Iraq. "American interests," for this administration, means big business interests.

There we have it: an ambitious plan for world domination in service of the rich, paid for with our blood and tax dollars. And the whole thing is posted on the Web.

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