What! A liberal that can can admit some truth!

[PatPatriot]

Monday, May 31, 2004 8:43 p.m. EDT
Thomas Friedman: Bin Laden in Every Saudi Home

Repeated terrorist attacks by homegrown al-Qaida operatives on Saudi Arabian oil interests show that a civil war is raging inside the key strategic U.S. ally, the New York Times' Thomas Friedman argued on Sunday.

"You could do a revisionist history of 9/11 that basically describes this as a [Saudi] civil war," Friedman said on CBS's "Face the Nation." "There's a real problem inside Saudi Arabia."

Friedman said that after the 9/11 attacks, while Saudi leaders publicly expressed their regrets, Saudi citizens privately sympathized with Osama bin Laden.

"Right after 9/11, you know, I was in neighboring United Arab Emirates," he recalled. "An Emirates official said to me - he'd just come from a conference in Saudi Arabia - he said, 'Tom, let me tell you something. Bin Laden is in every home in Saudi Arabia.'"

The Times columnist argued that bin Laden struck the U.S. primarily as "a way of undercutting what he saw as the strongest prop of the Saudi ruling family."

He urged President Bush to use the Saudi turmoil to recruit European nations to join the U.S. in helping to stabilize Iraq - telling them:

"'Guys, we've now got a Saudi Arabia that's got a low-grade civil war going on. We have Saudi opposition groups, al-Qaida sympathizers, attacking fortified oil installations. We need to put Iraq - tilt that on the right direction. The last thing we need is two unstable countries there."

Editor's note:

 

[xpanda]

Not that I disagree with his assessment, but Friedman is as much a liberal as I am a totalitarian.

Pat, you should read House of Bush, House of Saud if for no reason other than to get a good look into Saudi society. It's especially bizarre how well endorsed the Sauds are by the Bush's despite their 'make no distinction between terrorists and those that harbour them' rhetoric.

 

[PatPatriot]

Yes I should...because its like reading about people from pluto...I can't get a handle on any of it...I know the oil connection is there but to what extent I don't really know but there would be a connection to sombody anyway besides the Bushes.
The whole region has to be the weirdest culture I ever heard of (and vice,versa).
Listened to soldier last nite that was in Bagdahd for a year on the radio...he said the people in Iraq are pissed off because the people aren't living like the people in Kuwait yet like it was some sort of entitlement.When a year earlier they would do anything for a dollar and liked the idea of Americans being there....I know that has nothing to do what your saying but that whole region, to be nice, is quirky.

 

[xpanda]

You mean like how the Kuwaitis had reliable water and electricity supplies within a few weeks of the war, rather than intermittent doses of it over a year later? Is that what they're pissed about?

 

[PatPatriot]

No,no..not just that.He said like to be well off and not work like the Kuwatis...and that the majority really liked them but the ones who hated them really hated them....He said the thing he hated the most was anytime there was an incident like a dispute over a car accident or anything where US security forces had to step in there would be the media there scrutinizing everything they did...he said thats what was the worst...he also said that watching the coverage when he got back home scared the shit out of him and said he was never afraid of being over there as much as he was to watch what was going on and being reported from home.