He seems to simply be saying that an oil pipeline to the power station, which was presumably powered by burning oil, was sabotaged. If so, no evil conspiracy of bad priorities involved. If not, then you might be correct. However, speculation absent knowledge is worth any speculation without knowledge, I'd suggest. Nothing whatever is made clear here.
Gary, I don't believe the point was a conspiracy theory sabotage. The priorities referred to were that when a pipeline is damaged an oil production slows, the people who are made to suffer this loss of oil flow are the Iraqis. Instead of maitning oil flow to the Iraqis, the administrators chose to maintain oil flow outside of the country.
(yes, I am doing this because you corrected me elsewhere. but i do it with a cold, black kind heart.)
there was supposed to be a strikethrough that "cold, black". ruined the funny.
What Michael said. Except for that very unfunny "cold, black" thing.