[vannrox]

"...Osama bin Laden, a Saudi-born exile blamed by the United States for the Sept. 11 attacks, has said closing the bases was a priority in his campaign to drive the United States from the region..."

[Wonder Warthog]

"Saudis tell Bush to moderate Israel support or face "Grave Consequences"!"

Gee, what will the Saudi's do--give MORE money to Islamic extremists?? Provide MORE pilots to drive airplanes into US buildings??

Saudi Arabia is as big an enemy of the west as Iraq--they are just wilier about it. When it is to their maximum advantage, they WILL stab the U.S. in the back.

[TLBSHOW]

The Saudi Embassy has begun a television ad campaign in the United States promoting Saudi-U.S. ties and urging Americans to "Please keep your eyes, ears and especially your minds open."

I do keep my mind open and Islam is a False Religion.

[dighton]

ANGRY ARAB PUBLIC

Yawn .... full of "rage" and whatnot all year round.

[Texbob]

If Bush had any balls he would have repeated his promise to the Saudi's, any nation that harbors terrorist or makes finicial support to terrorist will be treated like terrorist and ridded from the world. It is the Saudis that are going to face grave consequences. They have been as big supporters of terrorist as Iraq and we can take them down a lot easier than taking down Iraq. But under Bush this will not happen. He lost his war on terrorist when he started ordering Israel to stop doing what Bush was doing in Afganistan. He did not have the staying power to win the war.

[CreekerFreeper]

Bush to Saudis: NUTS!

[okie01]

"He (Abdullah) doesn't mince his words, like the president. ... If the U.S. doesn't do more to reduce the violence, there will be grave consequences for the U.S. and its interests," [foreign policy] adviser Adel al-Jubeir said.

This is not the kind of public statement that normally comes from a trained diplomat, nor wins friends and influences American presidents. Thus, I wonder:

1. What role does al-Jubeir really play in Saudi affairs?

2. How long will he remain in that role?

Inasmuch as it cannot bear any relationship to what Abdullah really said, and how he said it, al-Jubeir is obviously aiming his comments at a Middle East audience. Which also leaves me to wonder what it is that Abdullah really said. Because, odds are, it didn't resemble this statement...

[Edward Watson]

Oooohh, do those in the Middle East seriously think they can blackmail the United States??? This reminds me of Blazing Saddles, where the new black sheriff puts a gun to his own head and warns "Don't come any closer or the [black man] gets it!!!"

Frankly, get it over and done with - 25,000 Marines are sufficient to hold the oil fields and terminals against any combination of Arab armies until reinforced several months later.

LOL! Why doesn't President Bush just play hardball and solve the problem???

[anapikoros]

The Saudis are only using the Israel-Arab confrontation as a deflection from the real issue which for them is keeping their Royal a$$es in power.

Their gambit ATM is that they cannot support Bush on Iraq because of US support for Israel. Eliminate that excuse and they will come up with another just as feeble.

Their main concern is that resolving the Iraq problem will install a US compliant regime there which will be a strong counter to the Saud oil influence - the reason the Saudis lobbied Bush senior not to finish off Saddam H. last time around.

[JZoback]

I would love to think George Bush told the "Prince" to kiss his shiney white butt

I wouldn't put any money on it, though.

Betcha Powell got his lip balm out just in case George asked him to kiss the Prince's butt instead.

[dalebert]

This doesn't sound like the same meeting I saw.I don't think anyone told Bush much of anything.

[Eagle74]

Grave Consequences?

I keep hearing all about the arab street, and how it endangers the "Moderate" arab dictators. This is utter BS, no dictator is afraid of his subjects. All dictators rule with an iron hand, and are willing to slaughter thousands of their subjects, to retain power. Only when they lose the will to kill, does the street have a chance. For example, the Soviet empire after they released Poland, or the Shah of Iran when he stopped killing his political enemies. On the other hand, we have the King of Jordan who slaughtered thousands of Palistinians in 79', the Saudi's who slaughtered the moslem militants who took over in Mecca, and in Eygpt the president hunted down, tortured, and executed the moslem brotherhood, and these are the so called "moderates". The only thing dictators can be said to fear, is the ambitions of their family and their generals, or a pissed off democracy.

So I ask what consequences? Are the arab dictators going to start funding terrorism? Oh wait, they already do. Are they going to send their incompetent military's, after Israel or the US(not likely)? Unlike in '73', an oil embargo is no longer a viable weapon, due to strategic oil reserves, and massive oil producer debt. So what can they do?

[priviteer]

I can't speak for President Bush, but I'd tell the Prince That he he wants to play his games, then we'll play ours. I'd love to see them eat that oil. You see, these Royal oil freeloaders forget from time to time who really props up their phony royal govt. In other words, BRING IT ON!!!