Congressman Tom Lantos of California made a suggestion today at the hearings on Iraq. He proposed that the cost of invasion, which was one of worries of the committee, might be easily made up for in access to oil, since the people of Iraq, in terms of raw materials "one of the wealthiest countries on the planet" could be rightfully asked to pay the cost of their liberation. After he spoke the panelist from the Carnagie seemed shaken, and quietly and respectfully explained, or at least tried to explain, in an unsteady voice, how the rest of the world might not see such a suggestion in a particularly good light. Later in the hearing, someone, I don't remember if it was member of the committee or of the panel, made the comment that our 'friends' Germany and France, should not hold out too long against our plans, or they might find themselves cut off from Iraqi oil once the campaign was successful and we were in the drivers seat.
The phrase "The rest of the world" came up a few times today, almost exclusively used by the two members of the panel who tried to explain to the congressmen what the phrase itself meant.