At least according to Pravda which takes a look at the Obama administrations control of a growing number of bailed out companies and suggests that the Gulf oil spill is being allowed to drag on with the ultimate aim of seizing BP’s US assets.

As a taster :

Have you figured out why Obama hasn’t saved America yet? Let me give you a hint. Never listen to what Obama says. Rather, focus on what he has done. Remember he learned politics the “Chicago way”. One of the most corrupted cities since the days of Al Capone.

Like a con artist Obama has welcomed companies on the verge of bankruptcy with open arms. Like a Chicago mafia Godfather he gave them all an offer they could not refuse. He gave them a bailout and now he owns them. He can control them. More importantly he can get money from them to remain in power. More companies equals more money. Not for me, not for you, but for Obama and his minions. Bail outs of the auto industry like General Motors, Ford and Chrysler means the government is the major owner. Now, others like Bear Stearns, AIG, Fannie Mae/Freddie Mac, Citigroup, Bank of America all are now owned by the governement thanks to Obama’s generosity and his freedom in the US treasury.

Obama wants the government to take over as many companies as possible as he already did last year. He is aggressive and relentless while appearing cool. That is why in response to the Gulf oil spill which began April 20th, Obama only banned further offshore drilling. He was delighted knowing it will strangle the oil industry until they beg him. He did not respond to the crisis until after 2 weeks and did not appear angry at first. He was so happy about what he would gain he forgot to frown at the camera to show Americans he was angry. Like a man who won the lotto he was filled with joy when he heard the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. His advisors quickly wrote him sympathic speeches to boost his declining approval ratings. Weeks later Obama relented and rolled up his sleeves and made a good serious face in front of the teleprompter. After almost 2 months Obama invited family members of the workers who were killed April 20 on the BP oil rig to visit him next Thursday June 10th at the White House. Yeah, that is good PR. It will fool enough of the “useful idiots” who see his crap and call it ice cream. Obama’s adversaries cannot even touch him. To quote the Godfather movie, “A lawyer with his briefcase can steal more than a hundred men with guns.”

According to Helia Abrahimi writing in today’s Telegraph, the US has previous form in this area as it has taken control of oil assets in the past from the company that was to eventually become … you guessed it – BP :

Were the President to widen his lens on history he would see the supreme irony that today’s shrinking oil giant partly owes its existence to America’s first forays into coup d’état tourism.

Then, BP was still called Anglo Iranian. A company once dubbed by Winston Churchill as “a prize from fairlyland, beyond our wildest dreams”. It was the jewel in Britain’s 20th Century crown, helping to power the country to victory in the Second World War.

Thanks to generations of hapless Persian royals, Britain enjoyed a hugely lucrative monopoly on the production and sale of Iranian oil. For Iranians it was a rather shoddy deal.

The British government held 51pc of the equity. In addition to the profits and the huge tax income the British Government earned, Anglo Iranian also supplied the Royal Navy with all its oil supplies pretty close to gratis.

But by the late forties and fifties Iranians found politics. Socialism was on the up and Anglo Iranian became the focus of a movement towards nationalism in a country that had long suspected it was the political plaything of Britain.

Indeed, in Iran 60 years ago, the company had become the focus of universal condemnation – much as it is today in the US.

But it wasn’t until the country appointed its one and only democratically-elected prime minister that Anglo Iranian politics washed up on US shores.

Mohammad Mossadegh was Time magazine’s man of the year and Britain’s idea of a diplomatic nightmare – dogmatic about returning parity of ownership to Anglo Iranian. In 1951, he nationalised Anglo Iranian.

The decision sparked paranoia in the US, where nationalisation was synonymous with communism. And when Harry Truman gave way to Dwight Eisenhower in 1952, the superpower was converted to plans of Iranian invasion. And, yes, there was quite a bit of oil to be had.

The coup of 1953 was code named operation Ajax. It was the first time the CIA overthrew a foreign government. Iran became the CIA’s – and America’s – inaugural test case for choosing its leaders abroad. It was planned in less than six months and acted out over just 24 hours. It cost no more than $20m. By all accounts it was a stunning success.

After the coup Anglo Iranian changed its name to British Petroleum. Reza Shah, a man better known for his playboy antics, was returned and planted on the Iranian throne.

As the Americans had done much of the dirty work – a new split concession was created. The new BP took 40pc of the Iranian spoils but five American companies shared another 40pc. The balance was distributed to Royal Dutch Shell and Compagnie Francaise de Petroles.

Should the seizure come to fruition, the only losers in all this, apart from some very soiled sealife, will be to investors and pension pots as BP is one of the larger contributors with $10 billion paid in dividends last year alone.