OIL WARS

Flashback (May 5, 2001)

Chevron gives oil tanker a new name: "Condoleezza Rice" too blatant perhaps?

Leaving a wave of controversy in its wake, one of the most visible reminders of the Bush administration's ties to big oil - the 129,000-ton Chevron tanker Condoleezza Rice - has quietly been renamed the "Altair Voyager", Chevron officials acknowledged yesterday.
Asked if Rice or the White House had specifically requested the name change, Chevron spokesman Fred Gorell said, "that's not for me to discuss."
A month prior, it was reported that the White House had faced questions over the appropriateness of the tanker's name -- particularly as California struggled with the effects of an energy crisis.
The giant vessel was part of the international fleet of the US-based multinational oil firm, christened several years ago in honor of Rice, a longtime Chevron board member. She served on Chevron's board from 1991 until Jan. 15, when she resigned after Bush named her his top national security aide.
Chevron has been sued for alleged human rights abuses in Nigeria.

Bush and big business: While both main parties have close ties to corporate America, the new president does seem particularly keen to legislate in the interests of business. What is clear, though, is that big money pulls a big punch in the new administration. Vice President Dick Cheney was, until last year, the CEO of Halliburton, the world's largest oil field services company.