March 11, 2004
House of Bush, House of Saud
Craig Unger’s new book is the result of his investigations into the thirty year relationship between the Bush family and the al-Saud family. I’ve found it interesting that in the late 80’s and early 90’s the Bush coterie emphasized the importance of their relationship with the Saud’s and since 9-11 they’ve been denying that there’s any real substance to the relationship.
This book highlights the incident immediately after 9-11 where many members of bin Laden’s immediate family were allowed to leave the country without being questioned along with members of the Saud family. In what is promising to be a vicious election year, I’m surprisde that the media is making no effort to cover this story at all.
I would imagine that if Kerry (or Nader) had such a close relationship with a family that has been funding al Qaeda it would be front page news every single day. And if Kerry were smart he’d be asking questions about this constantly.
Posted by rev_matt_y at March 11, 2004 01:18 PMI am no fan of bush and I think it is intresting that he let the al-saud family leave, but I don’t think that it is a good issue to debate him on, he could just say that he was worried that americans would be unable to be partial, and he needed to insure the safty of innocent people that had nothing to do with anything.
however, wouldn’t it have been nice to talk to the family to see what they knew?
martin
That’s all well and good, but without them ever being questioned it seems awfully rash to conclude that they didn’t know anything.
Posted by: rev_matt_y at March 11, 2004 03:38 PMI agree whole-heartedly matt but it seems so unbeleavable that most people would disgaurd it, but it couldn’t hurt to at least publicly ask him about it.
Posted by: martin at March 11, 2004 05:07 PMIf the Saudis are in bed with Bush, why are the Saudis sabotaging Bush’s reelection? The economy needs low oil prices to grow. Saudi dominated OPEC has been cutting oil output all through Bush’s presidency and thereby increasing the price. Why? The Saudi’s feel Bush and his war on fundamentalism feeding Arab tyrants is also directed to them. Remember what Perle said? The Saudis are the real enemy and they are next. They want Bush gone. It is a matter of survival for them. So they cut oil output, increase the price of oil, destroying any hope of an economic recovery and a reduction of the unemployment, causing voters to resent Bush and not vote for him. Anybody who thinks Bush and the Saudis have the same goals is not intelligent enough to understand the undercurrent. The Saudis were good with Clinton. The Saudis are good with everybiody who protects them. Bush has said they should democratize. Bush is an enemy. They can not come out and say it, so they play games with the oil price.
About the GREAT ESCAPE myth. Just after 9-11 the world economy was teetering on the brink of collapse. Bush let the Saudi Royals in the US go, to buy Saudi cooperation. That’s the relationship the US and Saudi have. Bush had to BUY cooperation, to make sure the Saudis kept the oil outflow high to avert a total collapse of the world economy. That’s the whole story. No conspiracy. No nothing. The Saudis and Bush are enemies, playing chess against each orther, a smile on their face, a knife behind their back.
Oh brother. There’s no NEED for Bush to deny this relationship—in fact, the relationship is a definite plus. As the rulers of Saudi Arabia, the al-Saud family are a major and deeply entrenched factor in all political, economic, social or religious issues related to the the Middle East. The Bushes are prominent American leaders, so it would be irresponsible for them not to get as close to the Saudis as possible.
In this way, we can twist their arms, cajole, and otherwise try to use diplomatic means to bring the Saudis around to our side (which is what’s been going on for the past few years). When Bush uses this kind of glad-handing diplomacy, the other side clambors instead for confrontation and says Bush is soft. But of course, if there ever is confrontation with a foreign government, they decry “arrogant” tactics that “unnecessarily” alienate our allies. This is the Catch-22—no matter what, Bush is wrong and his critics are “right.”
I can’t believe with all Al Frankens and Michael Moores out there that Urban Myths like this would be printed as truth. Oh wait, this is a Anti-Bush book, they don’t check those. That the Bin-Laden family left on 9/11 and that no one from Saudi A. was questioned are just urban myths. I heard Moore quote this stuff as truth as well.
Check it out. The truth here on 1 site: http://www.snopes.com/rumors/flight.htm
Cullen, Kevin. “Bin Laden Kin Flown Back to Saudi Arabia.” The Boston Globe. 9/20/2001 (p. A29). “All of those who took up the Saudi government’s offer to fly home were reportedly questioned by the FBI before being allowed to board the flights. A source at Logan said that the FBI was “all over these planes” prior to takeoff.”
Lichtblau, Eric. “White House Approved Departure of Saudis After Sept. 11, Ex-Aide Says.” The New York Times. 4 September 2003
‘While F.B.I. officials would not discuss details of the case, they said that in the days immediately after Sept. 11 bureau agents interviewed the adult relatives of Mr. bin Laden, members of one of Saudi Arabia’s richest families, before the White House cleared them to leave the country. Mr. bin Laden is said to be estranged from his family, and many of his relatives have renounced his campaign against the United States.
“We did everything that needed to be done,” said John Iannarelli, a bureau spokesman. “There’s nothing to indicate that any of these people had any information that could have assisted us, and no one was accorded any additional courtesies that wouldn’t have been accorded anyone else.”’
Ricky Vandal has it right. Plus the Saudis also know little about the technicalities of oil production. That’s why American companies are always there. And why when the recent bomb went off over there, the Saudis didn’t fix it themselves but called in US oil companies? If you don’t think it’s in our country’s best interest to “rub elbows” with OPEC and Arab oil countries, then tell me what you think when we remove ourselves and gas at the pump is $4 a gallon like the stuff we sell to other countries from here.
None of those Arab countries have any human-rights either (only Israel does). One day there will be an uprising and then something will hit the fan. Isn’t the average yearly wage in Saudi A. like $1,700?
It will be a great day when they all run out of oil and become like Ethiopia and the like. Of course then the people will become terrorists will run rampant like locusts on a field. Whadayagonnado? Just land on the beach and pull a Gen. Sherman on their a$$?
