“Why these doomsday predictions, threats to our military, financial cataclysms, and most of all, why is this called “unprecedented”?”
Because the Saudis paid for Obama to go to Harvard. Because many Bushies have become highly paid consultants and lobbyists for the Saudis. Because Bill Clinton gets paid 500,000 for a speech in Dubai. Because Grover Norquist is paid for. The establishment is freaking out and protecting their money.
Mark Twain covered this in “Corn Pone Opinions”.. Show me where a man gets his corn pone, and ill show you where he gets his opinions.
Simple as that.
Yes, indeed everything you say is correct. Saudis are sacrosanct, I discovered that personally in the 1980’s. But if so, would not this special status of the Saudis cause Congress to defeat, or quietly sideline, this bill? Not approve it in dramatic fashion? Most of Congress is, after all, part of the “establishment” you describe. The new law is less astonishing than the fact that it survived a veto and we don’t really know why?