“Iraq... has also had contacts with al-Qaida. Their ties may be limited by divergent ideologies, but the two sides' mutual antipathy toward the United States and the Saudi royal family suggests that tactical cooperation between them is possible.” MayTwoStatesSidesUnitedUnited StatesIraqContactIdeologyTiesMutualAlsCooperationRoyalTwo SidesSaudisDivergentRoyal FamilyTacticalAntipathy Author:George Tenet
“Look, I don't think President Obama would have bowed to the ruler of Saudi Arabia if he didn't have oil to the degree that the Saudis do. I think they and other producing states, almost all of whom, except Norway and Canada, are dictatorships or autocratic systems, have thrown their weight around because of oil.” IfsThinkingLooksStatesPresidentDegreesWeightOilCanadaThrownPresident ObamaRulersDictatorshipArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisNorway Author:R. James Woolsey, Jr.
“Oil policy, policy toward the United States, policy toward Iran, Bahrain, Yemen, very unlikely, I think, to see significant change. These policies were the policies that had a wide family consensus. The question I think would be if the king becomes sick, whether you have weak Saudi leadership in the Arab world and the Middle East rather than strong Saudi leadership, but I think the fundamental policies will continue, the ones we’re familiar with under King Abdullah.” IfsThinkingWorldStatesWould BeStrongUnitedUnited StatesMiddlePolicyKingsWeakSickFundamentalsWideOilEastSignificantFamiliarIranMiddle EastUnlikelyConsensusSaudisArab WorldYemenSignificant ChangeBahrainKing Abdullah Author:Elliott Abrams
“The terrible state of public education has paid huge dividends in ignorance. Huge. We now have a country that can be told blatant lies - easily checkable, blatant lies - and I'm not talking about the covert workings of the CIA. When we have a terrorist attack, on September 11, 2001 with 19 men - 15 of them are Saudis - and five minutes later the whole country thinks they're from Iraq - how can you have faith in the public? This is an easily checkable fact. The whole country is like the O.J. Simpson jurors.” ThinkingMenCountryStatesWholeFactsLyingTalkingFiveMinutesIgnoranceHugeTerriblePaidIraqTerroristHave FaithSeptemberFive MinutesCiaSeptember 11Not TalkingSaudisDividendsPublic EducationTerrorist AttacksCovertSeptember 11 2001JurorsBlatant Lies Author:Fran Lebowitz
“If hemp could supply the energy needs of the United States, its value would be inestimable. Now that the drug czar is in final retreat, America has an opportunity to, once and for all, say farewell to the Exxon Valdez, Saddam Hussein and a prohibitively expensive brinkmanship in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia.” IfsNeedsStatesWould BeAmericaValuesOpportunityEnergyUnitedUnited StatesDrugFinalsDesertExpensiveSandRetreatSaddamFarewellHusseinArabiaSaudi ArabiaSaudisHempCzarsDesert Sand Author:Hugh Downs