Saudi officials in particular are concerned that Bush is promoting a war which will affect them more than it will affect America, and are strident with their advice to show restraint. With Bush's economic and political relations with the states of the Persian Gulf deteriorating, these comments indicate tepid enthusiasm for Bush's belligerent attempt "to reach out" to ordinary Iranians, a move seen instead as hostile grandstanding.
The Gulf leaders are also not keen on meeting Bush's call for Gulf nations to "reach out" to Israel, especially while the Palestinians are seeing major reversals in their relations with the Jewish nation. In what has to be considered an insulting slap in their Wahabi faces, the US has agreed to replenish the Israeli JDAM smart bomb supply. The inventory was greatly reduced during Israel's 2006 offensive against Iranian-backed Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. The Israelis are very interested in acquiring the latest available technology as replacements, especially since the Bush administration proposed supplying Gulf Arab states with JDAM bomb kits similar to those previously supplied to Israel. This weapons parity can't be pleasing to the AIPAC lobby either. But the Jews don't have any oil to sell, do they?
Hence, Bush has to continue to suck up to those who provide more mujaheddin and money to the terror war mess than anyone else. The shame of it all, for him, is that it doesn't seem to be working. Just one measure of displeasure in Riyadh over Bush's ignorant gun barrel "diplomacy" can be seen in an article published by the Saudi daily Al-Riyadh - a publication which "reflects the views of the Saudi authorities" - rejecting Bush's truculence toward Teheran.
Another example can be seen in the protests allowed to be staged near the American Embassy in Bahrain. Protesters in the Bahraini capital of Manama objected to official American hypocrisy regarding the plight of the Palestinians at the hands of American pit bull ally Israel for the third time last week.
But wait! That's not all! Over in Kuwait, which was "rescued" by the first President Bush after Saddam took the bait - dangled by Bush I diplomatic vixen April Glaspie - indicating that the green light to invade was lit, the al-Sabah ruling family has shown its indifference to what a Connecticut "Texan" would expect to be eternal gratitude for salvation from Saddam. The Kuwaiti rulers publicly rejected the use of Kuwait in any attacks by the US against Iran.
Even in the United Arab Emirates, The Gulf News - "thought to reflect the thinking of that country's ruling elite" - reported that "there's little enthusiasm in the Arab world to be labeled as a 'Friend of George' by signing up to this anti-Iranian alliance."
Article comments
1 - Dave Nalle
I wonder if Realist realizes that the traditional throne of Persia is known as the 'Peacock Throne'.
Dave
2 - STM
And that it's about to get pruned?
3 - Baronius
Hey, you've got to give Realist some credit. This is his first article that didn't abruptly jump into debt and exchange rates 2/3 of the way through. I still don't agree with him, but his writing is improved.
4 - bliffle
Bushs failures in foreign policy are evident for all to see. He's destroyed the Army, discredited USA military leadership, discarded traditional diplomacy and alienated our allies. He's disarmed himself. He doesn't have anything left to fight with after wasting all resources on the bootless Iraqi Invasion.
He's frontloaded the whole invasion with promises to stay in Iraq until he wins the GWOT, which means forever, and already spent a trillion $$ to secure the obligation.
He's blown the US treasury with expensive tax and contract gifts to the powerful friends he admires and thereby insured that there is no slack in the federal economy to finance domestic programs which might help the weak Americans he despises.
Today Bernanke announced a 3/4 point reduction in the Prime Rate, thus illustrating the bankruptcy of GWBs economic policies.
Isn't Bush going to retire to his 90,000 acre ranch in Paraguay with his Life Companion Cheney?