> > I'm sure he wants to curry favor with a longtime > > family business > > partner.
> Why? He's _President of the United States_ - in > Bill > Clinton's remarkably crass phrase, he has "high > earning potential" after he leaves office. Apart > from > which, the extent to which the Bushes and the Saudis > have a business relationship basically works out to > they both invest with the Carlyle Group. I thought > about getting a job at Carlyle, it doesn't mean I'm > in > the pay of the Saudis... Now here's what I mean about the futility of these conversations. I long ago put out a challenge to show any evidence that the Bushes are not the lickspittle personal slaves of the Saudi Royal House. Their absolute and total willingness to spreadeagle the US national interest to Riyadh ranges from sabotage of our energy policy to turning a blind eye to utter international Jihad. At first I wondered if W slipped the leash somehow in ordering the spasm attack on Saddam, since Riyadh had ordered the shameful stain, our betrayal of the Shiite rebels in 91, laving Saddam in power. But now it's clear that this reversal, too, utterly serves Saudi self interest. By embroiling us in a Vietnam in the Middle East, the Saudis are getting everything they could want. Each day we provide grist for Al Jazeera's campaign to unite all of Islam, from Morocco to Java, for the 1st time in 1,000 years. Our finest troops are mired and our reserves used up. The economy is taking a hit AND American society is riven with division. The Arab shiites puzzled me a little, since the Saudis ordered the shameful stain in 91 in order to stop free shiite arabs from thriving near their own minority. But now I see. They saw IRANIAN influence rising among the Iraqi shiites. They had to act. We are their tool. _______________________________________________ http://www.mccmedia.com/mailman/listinfo/brin-l
