Oil or Democracy

Yesterday was a most deadly day in Afghanistan. We seem to forget often that we are still dangerously engaged in two wars as we lost 6 troops. So why are we fighting? We are told to save our freedom and to protect our way of life and to keep the terrorists from kidnapping our values.
Does anyone really believe that our system of government or our freedoms are in real jeopardy? I don't think so, but it is easier for a politician to speak these words because they sound so patriotic and so easy for us to understand. We claim that these wars will help us to spread democracy and this is good. Does anyone really believe this? If Democracy was at the root of our war policy, we would be fighting in Zimbabwe, the Sudan, North Korea, maybe finish the Vietnam War, try the Bay of Pigs again and storm the Chinese. We aren't. We are however friends with Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Kuwait, The UAE, nations who are run by wealthy oil families or a person we need for calm, that pound freedom into submission and have insulated themselves from the real problems of their own countries..poverty and hate toward the leaders. So, our response is to cozy up with these totalitarian regimes and claim our wars are about terrorism and democracy. Not so. We criticize Israel, the only Democracy in the region for abuse while those they are clamping down on continue to vow its destruction. There must be another reason we are so invested in the Middle East with nations who defy Democracy and are so far removed from relations with those who need us most. Maybe it's oil? How about someone from either party, in a leadership role finally admitting the truth? We cannot reduce our need for oil and until and if we do, the Middle East has what we want. Therefore, we will be there to protect our energy interests. It has nothing to do with terrorism or Democracy. Where are you Americans for reason and truth?