With Friends Like These...

Granted, it isn't clear that being friends with Bush or, especially, Dick Cheney is that safe or smart an undertaking....

But the Saudis are subtle and sophisticated, and their financial support of the Bush family and Cheney has stood them in good stead for decades.  In fact, good enough that their activities on Texas ranches are along the lines of Valentine's Day appropriate hand holding and nature walks instead of being shot in the face by... a pellet gun?

[UPDATE: currently, the lead picture on Cheney's whitehouse.gov webpage is this picture of Cheney trudging across the desert with Saudi King Abdullah ]

Not that the behavior of the Saudis isn't blatantly morally offensive (subjugation of women, funding of terror, etc...), however, but they're smart enough to not care.  They know that there are basically no statements they can make, even in the United States, that could cost them the support of the Bush Administration.

Consider the latest, from a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations in New York by Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the United States, Prince Turki al-Faisal.

"Nothing justifies any terrorist act whether through suicide bombing or through any other activity," al-Faisal said.

Still, he distinguished the suicide attacks carried out by Palestinian groups against Israel, saying the attacks were justified by groups like Hamas and Islamic Jihad as "legitimate means of war under occupation."

So, the Bush Administration supports Israel, right?  So what's his response to the Saudi government's endorsement of cold-blooded terrorism that kills Israeli men, women, and children with such great frequency? 

Nothing that we can find....

Oh, and the logic here is just so... stunning that we include it as well:

On the issue of freedom of religion, al-Faisal acknowledged that officials needed to do better in a country where Christians and Jews are often forced to practice their religion in secret.

But he also said Muslims felt a sense of injustice. Muslims, he said, believe in the prophets and holy texts of other religions. He asked why followers of those faiths do not do the same.

"Why don't you accept our Quran as your book as we accept your Bible in its entirety whether Old Testament or New Testament?" he asked.

Comments

[Dawn]

How much Saudi effort went into choosign OUR president?
I shudder to even ask this question

[Dawn]

How much Saudi effort went into choosing OUR president?
I shudder to even ask this question