President Bush in Saudi Land: Questions to Ask While Holding King Abdullah's Hand

President Bush will be visiting Saudi Arabia in the next days and meeting with King Abdullah. It will the first opportunity for both men since walking hand in hand at the President's Crawford, Texas, ranch back in April 2005. Before and since little has changed. This administration, under President Bush has persisted on showing fawning obsequiousness toward Saudi officialdom. This, in stark contrast to the American public who view that relationship very differently. Therefore, hereby, a list of questions, some pragmatic, some visceral, that the president might ask while strolling with King Abdullah. Perhaps they will signal to His Majesty that the administration's "heads you win, tails we lose" coin toss game with the Saudis has run its course:

- Early in 2007 with the price of oil hovering about $50/bbl, you as the putative leader of OPEC, organized a production cut of 1.7 million barrels a day from OPEC's production quotas. Since then the price of oil has escalated by 100% touching $100/bbl just last week. Such an increase in price is unprecedented and is beginning to wreck havoc on world economies, especially the poorer nations. Obviously the 500,000 barrels production a day that were reinstated in November are a far cry from what is needed. Why, in spite of this dramatic price escalation have you not at the very least reinstated the full 1.7 million barrels of production?

- In late September of 2006 your oil Minister Ali al-Naimi advised the world at large, with prices near $60/bbl, that "the oil industry is convinced that the price of oil is reasonable". This after his comments in 2004 "the market desires a $35/bbl because it is frightened of [the price rising] to $50," going on to say the Saudis too were "frightened" of that price because it might damage the world economy. Now with oil prices touching $100 barrel, how do you reconcile his statements to actual realities?

- Your Highness, you will remember back the last time we strolled along holding hands at the ranch in Crawford. At that time you agreed to increasing your production capacity to 12.5 million barrels a day by 2009 thereby bringing the world's economies and oil production into closer equilibrium You graciously advised that you would commit $50 billion toward achieving that goal. It was a gesture I found especially moving . Though $50 billion isn't quite what it used to be at today's oil prices, could you tell me how far along you are on this important project?

- Your Highness, back in the '70s your national oil company, Saudi Aramco, fashioned a comprehensive plan calling for Saudi Arabia to increase its oil production capacity to 20 million barrels a day by the 1990's. Do you still have a copy of this study?

- Your Highness, my people at our Energy Department and my good friend Matt Simmons are somewhat confused. They tell me they know so little about your true production capabilities. That you have let it be known that Saudi Arabia holds 260 billion barrels of crude oil reserves. Then in March of last year the head of reservoir management at Saudi Aramco, estimated the kingdom's reserves were almost three times greater, being closer to 716 billion barrels and possibly as great as a trillion (1,000,000,000,000) barrels. You see, we feel strongly that the lack of transparency in oil markets and the poor quality of information available generally, and especially from you as the most important producer in the world, contribute enormously to volatility and uncertainties. Therefore we would be especially grateful were you to lift the veil of secrecy and share data on your output and reserves setting an example for oil producers everywhere. Could we count on your cooperation in this matter as it is a key to our economic planning and that of so many others?

- Saudi Arabia has accumulated enormous wealth through the sale of oil especially so at current prices. A portion of that wealth is funding the Saudi Sovereign Investment Fund with some $900 billion, with much more to come in the years ahead. These funds are so huge and their aims and objectives so opaque that they are creating great concern in financial communities both in my country and around the world. Operational secrecy seems to be their order of the day. My SEC Chairman Christopher Cox has speculated that government investment funds could use the "vast amount of covert information" their intelligence services collect, making them "the ultimate insider trading tool." Given that insider trading is anathema to free markets, given the size and importance of your Sovereign Fund, would you be prepared to allay our and the financial community's concerns and set an example to other Sovereign Funds by opening your Fund's activities to candid public disclosure?

- Your Highness, just the other day three of our naval vessels were confronted in the Strait of Hormuz by Iranian armed speedboats. Our sailors were clearly in harm's way, and thankfully no casualties were suffered by our men and women. These ships were part of a larger naval force protecting the Strait of Hormuz and extending into the Arabian/Persian Gulf protecting you coastline as well. One could almost say they serve as guarantors of your independence -- no telling what the Iranians would do if we sailed away. This naval force is there to our mutual interest. We both want the oil to flow through the shipping lanes, but in that you are the ones profiting and we are the ones paying for the oil, don't you think you also should share in the upkeep of the task force? After all helping to protect your coast and the shipping lanes that ply your oil, is costing our treasury alone, some $100 million a day, or near $35 billion/year. Don't you agree, Your Highness, it would only be fair to share this burden with our citizenry who are currently footing this bill, while paying over $3.00 per gallon of gasoline?

- While we are placing our soldiers and sailors in harm's way to help guarantee your independence and to provide your oil with unencumbered access to world markets, you continue to dispense billions of your oil revenue either directly or indirectly to fund imams, mosques, cultural centers, Madrassas', both in Saudi Arabia and throughout the world ,preaching sadly venomous hatred of Shiites, Christians, Hindus and Jews. A recent report by the U.S. Commision on International Religious Freedom released in November, highlighted the lack of progress on efforts to halt the exportation of extremist ideology, a root cause for terrorism and political disequilibrium around the world. About the same time, The New York Times reported (as you know, hardly a mouthpiece of my administration), that your subjects are the largest contingent by far of foreign insurgent/suicide bombers in Iraq, and that according to American military officials "Saudi citizens provide the majority of financing for Al Queda in Mesopotania." As King, your Highness, what can you do to bring an end to this grave blemish on your nation?

- While we are on this unhappy note, Your Highness, I understand you recently released 1,500 Al Queda operatives. According to Saudi officialdom these individuals were counseled and seemingly purged of their "takfir" ideology which holds that there are separate rules that allows believers to kill, to lie to and steal from nonbelievers. As a condition of their release they were required to sign a statement promising only to refrain from jihad within the Arabian Peninsular. Please excuse my bluntness, Your Highness, a question I am reluctant to ask but my staff has been so insistent- does this mean they have higher authority to attack within our cities and fly planes into our buildings?

- And, oh yes Your Highness, another thing. Last March you issued a declaration that the American presence in Iraq is an "illegal foreign occupation." You know I immediately checked with my Dad and he doesn't recall a similar declaration being made before, during or after Gulf War I, when Saddam Hussein had aggressive designs toward Saudi Arabia and where many of our soldiers fought and died to protect the House of Saud. But then he is getting on in years and perhaps his memory is fading. What is your recollection about references to "foreign occupation" then?

- On a final and a fundamentally important note, we as two nations have a long history of cooperation and yet we must begin to deal with the important differences that separate our societies. According to that same report by the U.S. Commision on Religious Freedom that I mentioned previously, grave concern is expressed in the report about Saudi Arabia's violations of religious rights, especially those of Shiite Muslims, non Moslem religious groups and women. These are issues of great concern to my fellow citizens. There is the recent example of the "Qatif Girl" and her 200 lash sentence (commuted by King Abdullah after international uproar) and the 'arrest' of the blogger Fouad al-Farhan. Our views on these issues are so different that it has become critical to both our nations to bridge these differences, if we are to have any chance of building a future together in this precarious world. Should you agree, how then Your Highness, can we best undertake this task?

Comments

[KarenZipdrive]

Little Bush has been the hand servant to the Saudi Royal Family ever since they staked him in his first failed oil bidness.

The 9/11 terrorists were mostly all Saudis, so Bush went after their sworn enemy Saddam Hussein instead.

I am no warmonger, but if I were president on 9/11, I would have ascertained where the terrorists were from and that's the country I would have bombed.

Saudi Arabia is the most backward, violent, sexist country on Earth. The attacks on 9/11 happened on Bush's watch because the Saudis knew he would let them get by with it.

And he did.

[jmad]

Please keep in mind that our invasion of Iraq has effectively removed a potential of 5+ million BPD oil production. There has been no significant investment in Iraq’s oil industry for 30 years.
We have a long history of ass kissing with an extensive list of tyrants.

[ranchobob]

U.S. Voters elected an oil man, son of an oil man who is a former president and former C.I.A. head. They have been pals with Saud Inc. for a long time. Given their family history and the history of the middle east what did anyone expect?
We could have done SO MANY things to lessen our dependence on oil for SO MANY years. Instead we elected this compassionate conservative who opposes nation building and is a uniter, not a divider.

[newpantaloons]

And King Abdullah's answer to these questions would be, "But George, I am only doing what you and Dick told me to do; do you want me to change the strategy"?
And George's answer would be, "No".

[Boobaloo]

1.You need to be addressing these questions to President Bush.
2.Oil is a commodity that belongs to the Saudis and they dont owe us an explanation for their greed, which really is no different then Haliburton and they dont owe us an accounting of their reserves or oil per barrrel.
3.We're not protecting Saudi oil, we're protecting our oil supply.
4. Iran and Saudi Arabia are two different nations, with different religions and what the hell do you want the Saudis to do about Iranian behavior, a soverign nation?
5. It's a transparent and unamusing lie that the NYT is anything but a mouth piece for your administration; the NYT was a large push for this war.
6. The Saudis are right, Iraq is a foreign occupation. We defended the house of Saud b/c they gave us the green light to place our military bases in their nation & that was oil barrels from heaven for our government; politics is a dirty business.
7.Again, it's amusing that you criticize the Saudis for the raped woman (whom the king reversed her conviction of the lashes by the way, I thought you would know that & you intentionally kept that out of your tirade) when an American woman violently gang raped by Haliburton staff has been sold out, abandoned and callously told no one in the government will investigate. This American woman will never get justice b/c her own government will not allow her to seek it.

8. It's completely obvious to anyone who is informed, educated and with an IQ above 76 that you are deflecting from your own administrations failures and disasters but, that's not who your audience, is it? Your' audience are the bigot, the ignorant and the relgious fanatic who is waiting for the Rapture Spaceship.

[bendzela]

Learsy, you have them by the tail. This is as comprehensive a list of the dysfunctions in our relationship to the Saudis as I've ever seen.

Now I have my own question, for you: Why is the US so very dependent on this beastly kingdom?

The answer: Because US oil extraction rate peaked in 1970 and has been in decline ever since.

Same goes for Mexico, and Venezuela, and Iran, and the North Sea.

Do you think Saudi Arabia will supply the world forever?

[rubyjewel]

When will the US demand restitution for acts of terror from Saudi Arabia? Fifteen of the eighteen hijackers were Saudis. Osama Bin Ladin is a billionaire Saudi. The attack on 9/11 was masterminded and fully funded by Saudis.

Libya paid 400 BILLION DOLLARS in restitution to the victims of the airliner brought down by Libyan terrorists over Lockerbie, Scotland. Instead of the US attacking Iraq to extract vengeance, we should have put our efforts into forcing the Saudis to pay restitution. Using the Libyan settlement as an equivalent (4 airliners, 3200 victims, WTC and WTC building 7 destroyed, Pentagon damaged and the death and injury toll continues to rise for those involved in rescue and cleanup at Ground Zero) a reasonable settlement figure from the Saudis would be in the neighborhood of 10 TRILLION DOLLARS.

This money could be used to compensate the victims of the Saudi attack on 9/11/01 and to fund a massive retooling of our energy and transportation infrastructure to one using clean, renewable, domestic sources.

The US has squandered the lives of thousands of troops, over half a trillion dollars in Iraq/Afghanistan and our reputation around the globe has been undermined by the foolhardy, destructive invasion of Iraq. Think how much more we might have accomplished by the peaceful pursuit of justice and restitution from the real terrorists and criminals in Saudi Arabia rather than seeking to extract vengeance from the wrong country.

[Stevelagain]

Now, if a liberal was dealing with them and doing the hand thing you would congratulate that liberal for understanding their culture and developing a close relationship and being a good diplomat. Wouldn't you?

[realitytrumpsbull]

Final question: What are you planning to do for a job when we convert to hydrogen?

LOL

[Spookcatcher]

Bush gets to Tour the Palces new additions and all the new Gold and Platinum fixtures that have been installed. Also the Bush Family Shrine will be dedicated with a standing Royal Order for the Palace's royal doors are always open for any of the Bush Family and their Corporation's Board Members. (He also gets to peek into Cheney's bedroom and secret torture chamber) The King will also would like to express his delight in recieving all those videos he got as presents from the CIA.