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All of this Saudi bashing does more harm than good. The Saudis have helped us quietly over several decades in achieving our foreign policy goals in the region, including poroviding funding. They live in a dangerous neighborhood. They have paid protection money to escape the terrorist and regime changing attacks, which have been endemic in the arab world. Also, as the custodian of the two holy mosques and the religious home of Islam, Saudi Arabia's actions are circumscribed by that responsibility.

Saudi Arabia has approximately two-thirds of the world's proven oil reserves and an even greater percentage of the world's exportable oil,i.e., beyond domestic consumption. They can pump 10 million bbls. per day for the next hundred years. The world's economy depends on this oil regardless of whether we reduce our dependence on Saudi oil or not. All oil is fungibile.

What we do not want to do is to demonize the Saudi leadership like we did the Shah of Iran and wind up with something far worse. There is no doubt that Saudi money has found its way into al-Qeada, but I don't believe it is being done knowingly. I wonder how much of the money the USG gives to Arafat and the PLO goes to funding terrorism.

Hey, are you on the Kingdom's payroll too? This is full of spin:

All of this Saudi bashing does more harm than good. The Saudis have helped us quietly over several decades in achieving our foreign policy goals in the region, including poroviding funding.

Oh really? They've been _such_ a big help in the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations over the years, supplying funding to suicide bombers among other things. And that oil embargo they argued for and got from OPEC in 1973 to '74--that _really_ helped the US with its foreign policy goals in the region. Yes sir, they had our interests at heart.

They live in a dangerous neighborhood.

Yeah, and they're a big reason for why it's so dangerous.

Also, as the custodian of the two holy mosques and the religious home of Islam, Saudi Arabia's actions are circumscribed by that responsibility.

Oh yes, all the previous custodians of Mecca and Medina before the ibn Saud clan slaughtered their way to the top in the 20s also financed terrorism in the West. That's just the way it is. Running the Great Mosque just carries with it the added burden of killing the infidel.

The world's economy depends on this oil regardless of whether we reduce our dependence on Saudi oil or not. All oil is fungibile.

That's right, oil is fungible. The landlords of the oilfields, though, that's _disposable_. Besides, it's not as if the Saudis actually find the deposits and drill the wells (American engineers do that) themselves, or pump the stuff (the Saudis hire Filipinos and Pakistanis, often treated little better than slaves, to do that) with their own labor.

What we do not want to do is to demonize the Saudi leadership like we did the Shah of Iran

History lesson, bud. We didn't "demonize" the Shah. We (or rather Jimmy) STABBED HIM IN THE BACK. Which is akin to what the obese princes are doing to us.

and wind up with something far worse

Gosh, you think so? What do you think this worse regime might be capable of? You mean they might fund al Quaeda? Oppress Christians and other non-Muslims living in Arabia? Subsidize madrassahs and "Islamic centers" all over the world that spread Wahabbist hate and murderous conspiracies? Stonewall FBI and CIA investigations into terrorist attacks from years past, let alone 9/11?

I have news for you. This is the reality of Saudi Arabia TODAY. It can't get much worse.

ALWAYS REMEMBER 9/11 15/19