Bush Advisers Cashed in on Saudi Gravy Train

Corporation Watch ^ | 12-11-02

[Paulus Invictus]

Sheer bilge!

[spectre]

I believe you give real libertarians a bad name by posting from this site and acting like the authors are credibile. From their site map I discovered that their present "Campaigns" are:

1. Climate Justice Initiative

2. Alliance For A Corporate Free UN.

3. Greenwash

These are your credibile buds in the pro libertarian movement?

Hope not.

[Magician]

Nothing is sold to the Saudis without what amounts to a bribe or kickback to the appropriate Saudi royal. It's a fact of life that is present throughout the Arab world in one form or the other: baksheesh, bribery, kickback, presents, pieces of the action, etc.

American businesses dealing with people like the Saudis, and the Saudis themselves, have learned how to get around the U.S. anti-bribery laws using the types of deals mentioned above. The Bushes, their friends, and the people in the Administration have had long experience with this kind of thing, and they know how to play the intensely corrupt Saudis like a flute (and vice versa).

[Stultis]

Nothing is sold to the Saudis without what amounts to a bribe or kickback to the appropriate Saudi royal. It's a fact of life that is present throughout the Arab world in one form or the other: baksheesh, bribery, kickback, presents, pieces of the action, etc.

To my understanding this is absolutely true of Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, Kuwait is reputed to have one of the free-est and most open economies on the globe.

P.S. Saudi Arabia is literally bankrupt, and may soon be emulating Argentina or the old Soviet Union when the creditors decide to turn off the taps. Their only hope is a significant rise in oil prices. This gives the lie to the above article's claim that the Bush admin is beholden to the Sauds, as Dubya and company are doing everything possible (seeking to increase domestic production, bring more Central Asian oil to market, and lobbying Russia and others to defy OPEC limits) to bring and keep oil prices DOWN.

[Stultis]

It's "progressive" which is another word for Ralph Nader's new brand of communism.

Corporations are bad. [snip] Oil is bad. [snip] Money is bad.

It's all commie crap and the fact that some people here fall for it is nothing short of amazing.

Indeed. Let's spell out the corallaries:

Worldwide economic collapse is good.

The collapse of Western Civilization is good.

Mass starvation is good.

War and strife are good.

The death of billions is good.

Degradation, want and oppression (Man's natural state) is good.

[logician2u]

Sheer bilge!

Tell that to the folks over at Red Herring, why not?

Carlyle's Way