Two can play at that game *OR* The Saudi War on George Bush

Saudi Arabia has launched an undeclared war on George W. Bush... President Bush has provoked this response by proclaiming his intention to encourage democracy and liberalism in the Middle East, liberate the Arab masses from despotic rule, bring peace and prosperity to the region, and halt the spread of militant Islamic terror groups... The terror attacks convinced George W. Bush that America’s approach to the Middle East needed to be drastically changed, to ensure America’s safety. His campaign to oust the Taliban from theocratic rule in Afghanistan and his defeat of Saddam Hussein sent a message to the Saudis that “business as usual” was a thing of the past.
In calling for liberalism throughout the Arab world and for the acceptance of other religions, Bush challenged the support structure of the Saudi royal family, whose legitimacy is predicated on their role as defender of Islam’s holy sites and propagator of the faith. Much more importantly, in severing the ties that once bound, Bush II has declared that the ties of filial duty, which both animate and constrain the dynamics of the Saudi royal family, do not matter so much in his family. Not anymore, at least, no matter what the former appearances. In doing so, George Bush has become an apostate to the Saudis. It is not merely a matter of interests, but rather an issue of deep principle, fundamentally linked to their own way of life, and to their survival. ...
How have the Saudis acted to destroy George Bush’s political career? By using the “oil weapon” to torpedo the American economy over the next eight months, and thereby weaken electoral support for George W. Bush’s candidacy in November... By restricting OPEC output since the end of hostilities in Iraq, the Saudis have forced oil prices up over the past several months. The American economic recovery is being slowly, almost imperceptibly, throttled. From a low of $23.61 per barrel in May, 2003, average crude oil prices have risen rather steadily, to $31.03 last month, up nearly one-third in eight months. If this rate of increase continues over the next eight months, the economic consequences for America will be grim... Additionally, the Saudis may have been reducing their holdings of petrodollars and converting them into non-dollar denominated assets. This has hurt the value of the dollar...
The other factor which may hurt Bush’s chances for reelection is the situation in Iraq. Terrorists have been streaming in from Saudi Arabia, to wreak havoc and fund terror groups, despite protestations to the contrary by Saudi spinmeisters...
The Saudis require stealth for their plan to succeed. They cannot be seen to be suddenly, openly, and catastrophically retaliating against President Bush, as OPEC did with its 1973 oil boycott in the wake of Israeli victory in war. The American public is in no mood to be pushed around by feudal Arab regimes. Instead, they have opted to quietly tighten the noose on the American economy, hoping to escape public blame... Nevertheless, it appears to be the case that the Saudis are engaged in a silent slow motion war with George W. Bush’s Administration, aimed at limiting his Presidency to a single term.

by Ed Lasky, The American Thinker

Thanks to The Greatest Jeneration

This kind of article would be a lot better with graphs of Saudi/OPEC oil production rates, adjusted for this, that, and the other. But you've got to admit -- it makes sense. Why wouldn't the Saud family fear the USA in general and President GW Bush in particular? He, W, said he was going to change the face of the Middle East and from Libya to Afghanistan he is by God doing it. The Saudi royal family, all 15,000 of them, should be afraid. What I don't understand is why the President should be reticent about the changed relationship with Saudi Arabia. I think he should come right out and make a little speech, call the spade a spade, and let the American people get all worked up at OPEC once again. What better time to be pissed at OPEC, with the 3rd ID poised to return to The Sandbox in a few months?

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