Bush 43 & Abdullah: what the camera missed

Quillnews is enjoying the photo image of Bush 43 and Crown Prince Abdullah as much as everybody. (Agitator, LiveJournal, BuzzMachine)  And the scene setters about the second Crawford Ranch summit for Bush 43-Adullah (the only world leader so honored so far) all tell of everyone’s baseline obsession with oil prices and terrorism. (BBC, ABC, NYT, LAT, Fox) Media-ville implies with the hand-holding pix that somehow Bush 43 is in the weaker beta position and the world’s key alpha dog is Abdullah! After all, Saudi Arabia has the oil the US wants! (DOE) 

All that’s fair enough. But Quillnews urges all to take a closer look at the realities that are obscured by the fancy in these snap shots of simple human courtesy. The US, acting virtually on its own initiative with only its closest blood brothers-in-arms as allies, responded to a single attack – Sept 11 – and destroyed the governments of Afghanistan, Iraq and changed the on-the-ground behavior of Pakistan, India, Syria, Lebanon, Libya.  Bush 43 did this with a working majority of the American electorate, and all the while under relentless attack by his political opponents who, despite all efforts for two years, were unable to shake the American people’s support of the war.  Adullah knows his society has spawned a murderous enemy and ideology that has been growing for years and nurtured by his people and their clerics.  Imagine what the American people would do to Abdullah's kingdom if the homeland of the US or its allies were hit a second time!!!

Quillnews quik history quiz: 

Q: What does history say Americans will do? Hints: 1) Dresden and Tokyo fire bombs, 2) Sherman thru Georgia, 3) Nukes on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, 4) How about the Pequots burned alive in their fort in Mystic, 5) Or the Cheyenne and Arapahoe on Sand Creek or the Washita River. 

A: Does Abdullah think that Americans at war would hesitate to turn the sands of his kingdom into a sheet of glass and its inhabitants to vapor if Americans were hit again? Americans built and paid for the weapons that enable ever greater war today, and possess the will and means. The US have the men and women sworn to use them if ordered; and these warriors have had practice lately and are feeling pretty functional these days.  A surveillance drone and coalition check point this week prompted Zarqawi to jump out of his truck and run down a river embankment and hide under a bridge; moving quickly enough to escape, but not carefully enough to remember to take his computer and the hard drive files on his jihad army and their plans!  The enemy is on the run… NYP (HT Powerline, Chrenkoff, Bill Roggio, Command Post.)

Sen. Kennedy, who is ever more channeling the Nazi-appeasement isolationist lead of his Father Joe, can talk about the anniversary of the MSM stories about Abu Ghraib all he wants. Quillnews is confident Sen. Kennedy was sure the New York Times subsidiary, Boston Globe, would note Teddy’s Pander speech with sober enthusiasm in pitched stories its misguided editors believe their stupid readers should read to convince them of Kennedy’s truth.  Others have different ideas. (WSJ, Powerline, Chrenkoff, LGF)  Quillnews is more interested in the compilation of information from Australia’s Arthur Chrenkoff, whose 25th installment of Good News from Iraq, was featured in the WSJ and has been read by millions on the web worldwide, who are now more comfortable with their own reporting not the MSM.  (HT Gillmor, Rosen, Jarvis)

The news about oil supplies and prices was made before Abdullah showed up in Crawford, where he made sure he was photographed purchasing a bag of chips at the local convenience store.  (Taking a PR tip from spinmeister Adel Al-Jubair.  Quillnews knows that Al-Jubair remembers the lessons of Ivy Lee urging John D. Rockefeller to get filmed giving dimes to kids.  Same simple trick with pix to illustrate the news subject’s humanity.)  Behind the symbolism of that bag of chips are the kingdom's recent actions.  Days before the summit:

1. The Kingdom, which now produces 9.5 million BD, promised to increase production capacity from the current limit of 11 million BD to 12.5 million BD by 2009, and 15 million BD after that. 
2. The Kingdom announced plans to attract $623 billion in foreign investment over the next 15 years to develop the Saudi economy, primarily targeting American companies.
3. Told the US it wants to reach a bi-lateral trade deal to grease the way for the Kingdom’s admission to join the WTO. 

(Quillnews aside:  Saudi oil production investments are one thing, though it is hard to imagine many western boards of directors approving capital investments in jihadists' home turf. What respectable political risk executive could sign off on any paper that concluded risking shareholders money was in keeping with the director's fiduciary responsiblities?  Hell-lo!  Quillnews also advises all not to hold their breath on #2 and #3 too – Wahhabi sharia law does not recognize WTO accounting, contract law, credit and insurance practices. Saudi “courts” believe way too much commitment is implied in the rules of modern world commerce to suit Saudi tastes, which far prefer to having everything both ways…)

At the summit, the two leaders issued a joint statement of agreed principles.  Interesting reading.  So is the story about anti-terror assault on terror financing. The jury is out on the kingdom's sham "elections." (BBC, BBC2, AP)  And what is the deal with these stupid Saudis who keep calling for more Jihad? (Jihad Watch) Can't Abdullah get rid of these psychopaths?  More insightful were Bush 43’s remarks to the press while waiting for Abdullah to get out of his car.  Bush 43’s base line: personal relations are important, and Abdullah knows he has to produce more oil to keep prices in line… Pretty obvious stuff.  Also was the overt courtesy a vigorous Bush 43 showed to greet and steady an 81-year-old man on his walk. (HT Crossroads Arabia, CA2, CA3, CA4, CA5)

What was not mentioned in any of the captions to those photographs or in the official statements, was the fact that Saudi Arabia’s client state, Syria, was withdrawing that day from Lebanon after 30 years, leaving behind an armed Hezbollah supported by Iran. (Daily Star, DS2, DS3, Chrenkoff, WSJ) And it is no doubt that Abdullah has on his mind the fate of his across the water neighbor, Iran.  Abdullah would like to learn the details of Bush 43’s plan to confront Iran about its nuclear weapons.   

The Saudi’s are masters as duplicity, but check out Bush 43.  Sure the guy can be polite and solitious.  So what?  Bush 43 is at the top of his game; this is a guy who defended his country, redeemed his father and who is with a will, with a faith, with the weapons and the license to get done what he knows the people want.  Any many of his countrymen are just beginning to connect the dots about religious freedom. (China take note!)  A Yale Bonesman will always show courtesy. That’s basic. Of course Bush 43 would be kind and courtly in public to the elderly man visiting his home who is seeking reassurance that he is moving in the right direction.  More important is whether the guest is “on the team.”

For Bush 43 in the GWoT for the US, next up is Iran. (Fox, F2, F3, F4, F5, DOE, CIA, Wiki) Bush 43 has to have a feel if Abdullah and Saudi Arabia are going play along or will they be next in the GWoT. Bush 43 wanted to look into Abdullah’s eyes and ask: Are you with me?  If so, good. The words in the joint statement our staffs wrote can stand.  If not, well, that’s what I need to know...   Stay tuned.