1)If the Saudis are afraid of a partition of Iraq (which I favored before this story) then that's a great reason to do it. Had the Saudis not "graciously" invited us to their paradise in 1990 and then having us stay up to 2003 to save them from Saddam we wouldn't be in the mess we're in today. Let's quit listening to these losers already.

2)Ethnic cleansing concerns? Well, it IS a harsh world. Do the Saudis have so little faith in their co-cultists? Breaking up Iraq into different states would mean shifting people about. It's been done before and it doesn't necessarily have to mean ethnic cleansing on the scale of 1990's Yugoslavia.

3)Faisal is really something-"so we can turn to more fruitful endeavors." Yeah-stupid Americans keep dying so Faisal can enrich himself some more.
What a wonderful king.

Once again, the Muslims are begging us to save them from themselves. And stupidly we oblige. If the West does go under Islam will never make it.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 31, 2006 1:38 PM

Interesting comments from Prince Jive Turki.

All I see here is a self serving commentary to help keep the Sunni power base in the region in tact.

The Saudi concerns here have to do with one thing and one thing only, keep the Shiite weak.

If the country partitions the majority of Shiite will most certainly align themselves with Iran, and a fierce struggle for domination will take place.

The Saudis without a doubt are concerned as a possible large scale war between Shiite and Sunni's will most likely take place, probably with Pakistan at the front.

I don't know about you, but this sounds great to me. Let them have their wars and we can go back in and mop up the leftovers.

Niv

Posted by: The fanatic at October 31, 2006 1:39 PM

Oops-this Faisal is only a prince and not the king. Same difference!

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 31, 2006 1:42 PM

It´s time to go out from Iraq, a war between islam, wahabbism and Khomeini shia, would be a dream. And I prefer clear the shiism.

Posted by: Franze at October 31, 2006 2:00 PM

Article. VII of the United States Constitution [the last Article]

Done in Convention by the Unanimous Consent of the States present the Seventeenth Day of September IN THE YEAR OF OUR LORD one thousand seven hundred and Eighty seven {that year signifies only one possible Lord for this Constitution] and of the Independence of the United States of America. [from the sovereigns of the rest of the world]

In the Bible:

Mal 3:10 Bring ye all the tithes {Not filthy money] into the storehouse, that there may be meat {a Higher understanding] in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts,

if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

No other country on earth gives such an honor to the Lord mentioned in the US Constitution.

Consider again:

"The United States is the only one who can do the right thing for everybody in the Middle East," Faisal said.

"Not only because of the size and strength of the United States...."

This is a truth that offers a great deal of power over Islam.

The 'secularists' won't understand - but those who are willing to die for 'allah' will.

That's not saying that they'll admit it - but they will understand how it discredits their 'allah' - a very sore thing for them.

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 2:02 PM

If it were up to me [and it's not] - I would make Faisal - eat his words!

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 2:04 PM

The Saudis oppose ethnic cleansing? How come I hadn't heard before this, that Saudi Arabia is a multicultural nation, welcoming people of all religious faiths, protecting worship in churches and synagogues, and religious teaching of Christianity and Judaism in schools? Must have happened overnight before I got up this morning.

If this prince doesn't want each of the 3 nations of former Iraq to be as homogeneous as Saudi Arabia is, what principle does he believe in that instructs him to disapprove of ethnic cleansing?

Posted by: Frieda at October 31, 2006 2:16 PM

Faisal should speak to himself about the possible ethnic cleaning occuring if the US pulls out. He should ask himself who is behind these genocidal policies. He should send his muslim armies of Saudia Arabia to save the day if he think Iraqy civilians are worth saving under the onslaught of the very religion he is professing. Let them kill themsleves for whatever religious and sectarian ideology they belong to. Who is dumbhead kidding? The history of Islam is a history of violence. After the death of Islam's so-called prophet, weren't three of the fourth califs murdered?

I cannot beleive how can the US government or the American people fall for this trickery. How many American lives are worth to him to avoid the calamity he is speaking about. Hypocrisy, hypocrisy, hypocrisy. Shame, Shame, Shame.

Posted by: sammish at October 31, 2006 2:16 PM

Man, I would so love to see the Saudis cop a proper hiding.
What goes aound comes around Turki.
Feel that Islamic love.

Posted by: Mike_W at October 31, 2006 2:19 PM

Saudi Arabia will defend its regime to the last American.

Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS at October 31, 2006 2:20 PM

Its the Wahabi/Saudi alliance...the dubbya will not upset the Saudis cuz the're both oil boyz...

Posted by: sikhy at October 31, 2006 2:24 PM

From the above article:

"The United States is the only one who can do the right thing for everybody in the Middle East," Faisal said.

What the heck? The key is to get everbody on the same page, and end all of this PC nonesense! I'm sure that the British and the Australians can "do the right thing" along side the United States!

Maybe I'm just not understanding the comment. But, it certainly seems rather foolish to think that we Americans can do this all on our own...

http://doctorbulldog.wordpress.com

Posted by: Doctor Bulldog at October 31, 2006 3:03 PM

Re: If Iraq were to be divided on ethnic or sectarian lines, he warned, problems in the country would increase three-fold, and there would be "ethnic cleansing on a massive scale."

As a fellow human I believe ethnic cleansing, especially of innocent civilians, is horrible. But if asked if it's worth the blood of US Soldiers and billions of US dollars to prevent Sunnis and Shiites from killing each other, my answer would be a resounding "HELL NO".

Posted by: Infidel at October 31, 2006 3:29 PM

This ties in to the real Sunni fear of the Shiites, perhaps unintentionally we have walked into the right strategy, now the USA should plead poverty and the need to get its budget in the order and withdraw, let them slug it out and then clean up afterwards. After all the USA budget deficit needs to be sorted so we have to draw a line in the sand

I read recently of an alliance between Saudia Arabia, Jordan and Egypt against the Shiite.

A quick question, how much of the USA GDP comes from Europe, if its very little let open war break out in the ME, Europe have no oil and the USA use its reserves and the Euroweenies will shit themselves and grovel to the USA, wouldn't that be funny.

Come on it makes sense.

Posted by: Daffersd at October 31, 2006 3:30 PM

Turki speaks for Saudi Arabia, the wealthiest of all the Arab nations, the most Islamic and the most totalitarian of all.

His government, a clan of 10.000 princelings and princesses, has done exeptionally well under American protection. He should be told in no uncertain terms that if this protection is to be continued, it has to be paid for.

I would call that a reverse-jiziyah....

Posted by: sheik yer'mami at October 31, 2006 4:09 PM

Don't we need to choose a side there? We don't need to put out the fire with American blood but we must have a dog in this fight. We need OIL! That is true for the rest of the industrialized world too. Iran is making a play for leadership and they don't want our help or friendship. If Iran wins, we lose. The choices are very nil for us. Geopolitical reality means doing what is best for us and forget the smell...unless you want to walk to the job that you won't have. Not caring who wins out in this is indefensible in my opinion.

Sheik yer'mami
Have the Saudis pay for protection..? Hell yes! They understand bartering..I think they may have invented it. Lets play our cards Texas Hold'em style and protect our own interests. Turki is not stupid though as he knows we are in it and have no other choice but to protect S.A.

Posted by: pismopal at October 31, 2006 4:42 PM

Use American lives to protect the Saudi princes and princesses....for money????

That's disgusting.

Not ONE DROP of American blood for corrupt Saudi princlings, who use their wealth to spread the poison of Whabbism.

Posted by: treehugger at October 31, 2006 5:16 PM

Pismopal you are right that the world desires Saudi sweet crude. However the US relies mostly on Canada, itself, South America and Africa for oil.

I think if the world at large boycotted all mid east oil supplies for one month, the jihadist movement would be dead.

I know this is nothing but a dream, but we are funding our own demise by allowing Saudi oil to move freely.

A forced embargo on the mid east would stifle the economy in the short term, but between all nations like Canada, US, Russia and others there is enough crude to keep things going. The Saudi's would be secular in less than a month if they watched their riches dry up like the sand they sit on.

Niv

Posted by: The fanatic at October 31, 2006 5:22 PM

Never again should US troops fight for a foriegn country. If they want liberation, let them earn it with their own blood.

Islam = Satan
Oil = Forbidden Fruit

We took a bite and then evil men learned to profit from feeding us that forbidden fruit. That group has prevented us from spitting it out or findng a new food source.

Also, make sure you register your harrasment complaint with the "islamic human rights watch" group (is that an oxymoron). Link is here:

http://www.ihrc.org.uk/incidents/

According to these champions of justice:

"Harassment can be anything from verbal abuse, nasty looks to physical assault."

I wonder what blowing up trains and buses qualifies as? Oh yea, that is "Freedom Fighting".

DEATH TO ISLAM!
DEATH TO CAIR!

Posted by: KillHankKill at October 31, 2006 5:27 PM

What that means translated into laymen terms "the US is the only obsticle in the middle east".

What they want to see is a Democratic Dhimmi administration that will side with muslims, terrorists and compromise everything including freedom of speech, sovereinty, Israel, freedom.

Posted by: alaskan1000 at October 31, 2006 5:28 PM

Where were the Arabian kings while Saddam was filling hundreds of mass graves?

Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.

Isa 13:20 It shall never be inhabited, neither shall it be dwelt in from generation to generation: neither shall the Arabian pitch tent there; neither shall the shepherds make their fold there.

2Jo 1:10 If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine [of Christ - of Peace], receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed

Jer 3:2 Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.

The Koran teaches Beheadings, Gang Rape, Crucifixions, the cutting off of hands and feet - and theft of all non-Muslims' homes.

You either hear - or you don't

The 'Arabian' is not to be trusted - and we have not only the right not to trust him - but the Duty.

Pro 15:31 The ear that heareth the reproof of life - abideth among the wise.

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 6:12 PM

treehugger sez:

*****Use American lives to protect the Saudi princes and princesses....for money????

That's disgusting.

Not ONE DROP of American blood for corrupt Saudi princlings, who use their wealth to spread the poison of Whabbism.****

It seems to have escaped you that we have been there on the ground in Saudi=Arabia for many years now, protecting Saudi interests... Our troops and our contractors have been blown up (remember Khobar towers?) and as far as I know WE are paying for it. This is also one of OBL's grievances, repeatedly stated as an excuse for attacking America...

Nothing new here. you just missed it....

Posted by: sheik yer'mami at October 31, 2006 6:22 PM

No matter where we buy oil, if the flow of crude is interupted by Iran..all crude prices will skyrocket..supply and demand will determine the price and everyone needs it. I try not to let my natural dislike for islamists interfer with my sense of what will or will not be best for my country. Don't cut off your nose to....your face. I would trade our nukes for alternative source of energy.

Posted by: pismopal at October 31, 2006 6:34 PM

"But Faisal added that it was in U.S. interests for "peace to reign, so we can turn to more fruitful endeavors." - Like finish building that £300 million, 550 mile barrier between the kingdom and Iraq. Projected completion date is summer 2008.

The A-rabs are worried about "blowback". Saudi nationals have been playing a key role as foreign fighters in the Iraq insurgency, so the deterioration in its northern neighbor is a security nightmare. But they are mostly concerned that the Iraqi civil war will send a wave of refugees south, unsettling the kingdom's Shia minority in its oil-producing east and igniting jihad back in the streets of Riyadh.

Posted by: Malinois at October 31, 2006 6:49 PM

""But Faisal added that it was in U.S. interests for "peace to reign, so we can turn to more fruitful endeavors." - Like finish building that £300 million, 550 mile barrier between the kingdom and Iraq. Projected completion date is summer 2008." Malinois

No No...he means bringing the to the world the joys of Islam. You can't convert the non-muslim if the muslims are busy killing each other. Faisel wants peace becuase the world wide Mosque building plan will be put on hold so they can build things like Great Wall of Saud. In muslim minds the words...."fruitful endeavors" mean something we may not like.

Posted by: greatcometof1577 at October 31, 2006 7:03 PM

Saudi Arabia will defend its regime to the last American.
Posted by: ISLAMSFORLOSERS

LOL. Why not let them have the Turks we have in Germany? They are fellow islamos and they like to jehad.. Put them in uniforms and pay them some money and bingo! You can send them to take over in Iraq. Just get 'em out of Germany please! We had Nazis last century.. who came from within our ranks.. now we get islamos and Turks and our country is once again threatened with turmoil, drifting askew under a cloud of intimidation and death... and in the distance the sickening fumes from the smouldering embers of what used to be France fill our nostrils.. and to our northwest we hear the agonized cries of the True Britons who are being sold down the River Thames every day by that looney cabal on Downing street.

Iraq is the Balkans of the day!! Get out asap and let God sort 'em out!!! When they get ready to shoot one another.. step out of the line of fire.

Posted by: germaninamerica at October 31, 2006 7:03 PM

'US Only Answer for Middle East,' Says Saudi Envoy

But is he saying this with anything beyond Saudi interests in mind? A CNSNews.com story by Monisha Bansal (thanks to Mackie):

(CNSNews.com) - Voicing support for U.S. involvement in Iraq, the Saudi ambassador to the United States said the U.S. has a important role to play in the Middle East, "whether it wants to or not."

What's it worth to ya? Can we open a few BBQ shaqs in Riyadh? Celebrate Christmas and Hanukkah? We'd also like to have a few breweries to spill out some fresh suds to keep us lubricated while we do your dirty work. Last but not least, we'll require lots of scantily-clad belly dancers. A few of your princesses will do fine - if they pass muster.

We will require unlimited access to your oil at NO cost to us while we are doing this job.. and we want you to pay off our national debt..

..You know.. make it worth our while.. Your undying friendship and gratitude simply doesn't cut it any longer.

Posted by: germaninamerica at October 31, 2006 7:15 PM

There used to be a time when the State Department existed to make other Countries take actions in our interest. I think its time for Saudi Arabia to hire Blackwater Consulting to do their bidding. Our troops will have better things to do soon.

http://www.blackwaterusa.com/securityconsulting/

Posted by: limes at October 31, 2006 7:22 PM

This is just another example of why we need to find a replacement for oil. If we and the rest of the Western worlod stop buying it, then all of the Middle Eastern nations go broke.

Saudi Arabia, or rather the al Saud family, would be nothing but the owners of the biggest camel and goat herds if it weren't for petroleum. As they are the financiers of the Wahabi sect, every time we fill up we are dropping money in the collection plate of the very institutions that are preaching our destruction. It's time we stopped buying weapons for our enemies.

A government financed crash-course project to develope new fuel and power sources is just the thing to cut the purse strings of terrorists. Biodeisel, wind and solar, clean coal and others need to be one of our nation's top priorities.

And before any of you flame me for being a "bunny-hugging eco-freak", Robert said the same thing in his latest book. If you haven't read it yet, then go out a buy a copy!

Posted by: give me doughnuts at October 31, 2006 7:23 PM

The headline was:

'US Only Answer for Middle East,' Says Saudi Envoy

I think what he was really saying was :

'Us Only Answer for Middle East,' Says Saudi Envoy

Yep, that's right. They see themselves as the real answer.

Posted by: yaqub at October 31, 2006 7:29 PM

"No No...he means bringing the to the world the joys of Islam.
[...] the world wide Mosque building plan will be put on hold so they can build things like Great Wall of Saud." -from post above

I was under the impression they are doing both simultaneously.
My Bad!

Posted by: Malinois at October 31, 2006 7:38 PM

Stop buying oil ....sheeeze.

Want God to prove Himself? [which at this point - I find it very sad]

Jhn 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name [the name of Jesus]: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.

The authors did ask for America - in the name of Jesus:

The first prayer in Congress, Sept. 24, 1774, in Philadelphia's Carpenters Hall.

Lord our Heavenly Father, High and Mighty King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all the Kingdoms, Empires and Governments; look down in mercy, we beseech thee, on these our American States, who have fled to thee from the rod of the oppressor and thrown themselves on Thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent on Thee, to Thee have they appealed for the righteousness of their cause; to Thee do they now look up for that countenance and support, which Thou alone canst give; take them, therefore, Heavenly Father, under Thy nurturing care; give them wisdom in Council and valor in the field; defeat the malicious designs of our cruel adversaries; convince them of the unrighteousness of their Cause and if they persist in their sanguinary purposes, of own unerring justice, sounding in their hearts, constrain them to drop the weapons of war from their unnerved hands in the day of battle!

Be Thou present, O God of wisdom, and direct the councils of this honorable assembly; enable them to settle things on the best and surest foundation. That the scene of blood may be speedily closed; that order, harmony and peace may be effectually restored, and truth and justice, religion and piety, prevail and flourish amongst Thy people. Preserve the health of their bodies and vigor of their minds; shower down on them and the millions they here represent, such temporal blessings as Thou seest expedient for them in this world and crown them with everlasting glory in the world to come.

All this we ask In the Name and through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thy Son and our Savior. Amen." And the Lord blessed America - Because they had put their trust in Him.

Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD. Psa 33:12 Psa 40:4

You can believe - or not believe - but one thing you can not do is -

successfully blame the One Who told you "not to accept the antichrist"

You can blame many others - but you can blame the One Who told you not to.

Happy "neck sawing"

eat drink and be merry -

Why not?

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 8:23 PM

"The United States is the only one who can do the right thing for everybody in the Middle East," Faisal said.

Has he told Kofi Annan? Doesn't he realize the rest of the world doesn't like American "cowboys" who "go it alone"?

Maybe we CAN, but why should we WANT TO, especially after all that's gone down since 1990?
Khobar Towers should have been the first sign that Saudis were poison.

Someone tell them to be careful what they wish for, they just might get it. Imagine the US taking control of Mecca and Medina and establishing checkpoints on all roads leading to those wonderful Islamic cultural sights. The Grand Mosque patrolled by US soldiers. Infidels checking its interior every morning. Soldiers watching men on their knees in prayer. Hmmmmm.

Do the Muslims respond by blowing up their own cultural hotspot? There goes the hajj.

Posted by: PMK at October 31, 2006 8:23 PM

Correction

but you can NOT blame the One Who told you not to

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 8:26 PM

Kofi Annan is a "closet Muslim" if ever there was one

Simply put...

"The Tree is known by his fruit"

[you be your own judge]

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 8:28 PM

For the record...

There are MANY [MANY I say} who calim to be Muslims - and have no idea - none what-so-ever - that in reality - they are True Christians:

Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.

Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. {The so called self-professing 'Christians' who have yet to join in the with the chorus that God condmened Palestine - the song of Moses...

you know....the one that the saints sing? Rev 15:3

Mat 12:30 He that is not with Me - is against Me

There is no in-between

Posted by: Beth at October 31, 2006 8:38 PM

"I was under the impression they are doing both simultaneously.
My Bad!" Malinois

You are right about the small little eletro fence the putting up but they are going to need a bigger wall if the New Shia Super State or Greater Iran or whatever they are going to call it comes into being. They aren't going to have time or money building Whabbi mosques when Iranians are building Shia mosques in downtown Riyadh if you get my drift. Its going to be Sunni Arabs Vs. Shia Arabs/Persians. It will be the supreme battle for Allahs love.

Its sort like in Jaws..."Bigger Boat" theory....we all know who the shark is and guess were Prince Turki al-Faisal is??? Not good so he is hoping the U.S.S. State Dept. will save him when the time comes.

Posted by: greatcometof1577 at October 31, 2006 9:04 PM

Saudi Arabia is at least as big an enemy of the U.S. as Iraq ever was. The Saudis are the ones who have paid to build madrassas all over the Moslem world, where hatred of America is daily taught to young people. They have paid to build mosques all over the West, including in America, and staffed them with extremist imams whose salaries the Saudis also pay. And they distribute annotated Korans carrying extremist commentaries all over the world, again including in the U.S.

There is no way we should be supporting these people for any amount of money or oil.

Posted by: tvdog at October 31, 2006 9:34 PM

This is much more complex than one might think. His Royal Highness Prince Turki al-Faisal gave an interview, some time ago, to Elizabeth Farnsworth (not, admittedly, the brightest shilling in the purse) and you can read it at:

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/middle_east/saudi_arabia/saudi_faisal.html

It is, I'm sure you will agree, interesting, but not very informative, reading.

A later interview with him than that is at:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fnews%2F2003%2F08%2F03%2Fwbin03.xml

and is equally as disingenuous and uninformative as the first.

However, to balance all that there is always:

http://www.alternet.org/story/43586/

and the following story, by David Mark, (note, in particular, the final paragraph which is very interesting) -

By any reasonable standard, Saudi Arabia should be considered a medieval, Taliban-esque dictatorship. The "kingdom" squelches women's rights, promotes an extremist brand of Islamic religious law, fosters anti-Semitism in its official press, and exports jihadist homicide bombers against U.S. targets.

Yet the image the Saudis present to America is strikingly different-one of a benign, religiously pious ally in the War on Terror. The Bush family perpetrates that fraud, kissing up, literally, to Saudi Arabia's oil-rich rulers. During his post-presidency, Bush 41 served as a well-compensated rainmaker for the Saudi-funded Carlyle Group, and who can forget the spectacle of the normally macho Bush 43 strolling hand-in-hand with Crown Prince Abdullah during the despot's 2005 visit to the President's Texas ranch?

But the Bushes have had help creating this charade. Michael J. Petruzzello, managing partner of the Saudis' PR firm, Qorvis Communications, lobbies Congress on behalf of his client-state's interests and tries to whitewash their public profile in the media.

It would not be a stretch to call the firm's remuneration legal blood money, considering that 15 of the 19 September 11 hijackers were Saudis, as are many insurgents in Iraq.

Qorvis often uses surreptitious means to cover for the Saudi's backward-looking regime. The Justice Department once investi-gated a radio ad campaign Qorvis put together for a sham group whose spots advocated a "fair plan" for a Middle East peace settlement, but really talked up the Saudi government. The company has also offered to pay academics and former diplomats handsomely to speak up on behalf of Saudi interests.

These efforts have proved a tough sell for Qorvis' own staff. In December 2002 three firm partners quit amid what The New York Times called "a deep discomfort in representing the government of Saudi Arabia against accusations that Saudi leaders have turned a blind eye to terrorism."

Qorvis continues to shill on behalf of the Saudi monarchy. O'Dwyer's Newsletter reported that the Saudis paid the firm $3.6 million during the six-month period ending in March 2006. In return, Qorvis set up a "listening tour" for Ambassador Prince Turki Al-Faisal. The firm also helped get editorial board meetings for the Ambassador with the Los Angeles Times, CNN and the New York Times. Those contacts put the Saudis in a position to propagandize on behalf of Hezbollah during its summer attacks on Israeli civilian targets.

(David Mark is author of "Going Dirty: The Art of Negative Campaigning" (Rowman & Littlefield) and is a former editor-in-chief of Campaigns & Elections magazine in Washington, D.C. USA. He is said to be a seasoned political journalist whose work has appeared in The Washington Post, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Arizona Republic, The Miami Herald and many other leading publications. It seems he has been a political analyst on television, radio, and in print publications, in the United States and abroad, and that he has also lectured outwith the USA about campaigns and elections to diplomatic, business, academic and journalism groups.)

Dominic.

Posted by: necessitasnonhabetlegem at October 31, 2006 9:41 PM

An interesting note is that Prince Turki was head of Saudi Intelligence for around 20 years and conveniently resigned 11 days before 9/11. Supposedly he had warned us that something was about to happen, but when he walked among the ruins of 9/11, he was completely expressionless, showing no hint of emotion. After learning that he resigned just days before 9/11, I never trusted him and he went on to become the Saudi Ambassador to the UK, and now Ambassador to the US, replacing Bandar, who was quite Westernized and close friends with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Bandar regards Bush #41 as a father. Prince Turki's father was King Faisal who was murdered, I believe by an extremist.

Posted by: Bonniea at November 1, 2006 12:29 AM

"The United States is the only one who can do the right thing for everybody in the Middle East," Faisal said.

Waitasec...what happened to Islam "doing the right thing for everybody in the Middle East"? Is Faisal suggesting that Islam is neither able to prevent infidels from "messing up" the M.E. nor able to pull them out of that mess as well as an infidel USA? How embarassing for this so-called "perfect and best way of life".

Posted by: yadayada at November 1, 2006 2:33 AM

Surely the Saudis do not need the United States. Why can't the religion of peace work out its differences with other Moslems during the Hajj? Is the Saudi Prince Islamophobic?

Posted by: David England at November 1, 2006 7:23 AM

Why don't we take some cues from the ancient playbook of the Roman Empire? If we're invited in, let's go in. We can work with client kings as vassals of United States policy while we Romanize things.... Saudi Arabia is a good spot - under populated... no infrastructure knowledge or support and the armaments they have are very familiar to us. Let's 'help our friends'.

Posted by: A_Plague_on_Both_Houses at November 1, 2006 9:39 AM

The carrot must come before the stick. It seems to me that the Saudis are playing this angle and it appears to be possible that America is being offered an opportunity. Perhaps America's soft power could be of use in constraining Islam's reign of horrors. I don't know if we have anything to lose by trying this (and it doesn't mean we would be putting ourselves in a situation to trust these people by doing so, since Muslims have probably figured out by now the west can't afford to trust the Muslim world, and Americans in particular have recently learned the dangers of trusting the Muslim world).

The key to the Middle East crisis for 14 centuries has been and continues to be that Islam not only places no value on human life it actually provides incentives for people to destroy human lives on an ongoing basis.

As long as people provide rewards for destroying human lives (as for instance the $25,000.00 cash payments to families of suicide bombers by Middle East rulers to kill off Jews) there will be nothing but bloodshed dominating the human landscape of the Middle East. It is theoretically possible that Americans can at least help get some laws on the books in Islamosphere countries that provide at least some degree of respect for human life, limit religious presecution, and thereby discourage terrorism that way. Two examples that come to mind are honor killings and female genital mutilation, both of which could conceivably be outlawed (if Uncle Sam pushed for this?).
Imams advocating out and out murder of the infidels (which includes almost all of them from what I have heard) can be forced out of the mosques and maybe (however remote that possibility actually is) we can get murder to (at least gradually) fall out of favor in the Middle East and the rest of the Islamophere in favor of a saner society where rule of more humane law can prevail.

On second thought--naaah!

Posted by: pythagoras at November 1, 2006 6:11 PM

Beth: I would also add to your list of closet muzzies Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin.

Posted by: pythagoras at November 1, 2006 6:13 PM

'US Only Answer for Middle East,' Says Saudi Envoy"

And here I thought islam had all the answers, even FOR the U.S.

Posted by: Islofob IS-1 at November 1, 2006 9:13 PM

Beth: I would also add to your list of closet muzzies Hugo Chavez and Vladimir Putin.

Posted by: pythagoras

My first thought....

Rev 19:19 And I saw the beast {kingdom ], and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.

Rev 13:4 And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?

Posted by: Beth at November 3, 2006 10:23 AM