BUSH'S MARCH MADNESS
The greatest tyrannies are always perpetrated in the name of the noblest causes: Thomas Paine
Finally we are witnessing an intervention of sorts by a friend of America, Saudi Arabia ~ who rightfully calls America's continued military presence in Iraq an ' Illegitimate foreign occupation ' ~ a term the blogosphere has been using for over four years.
Until we, meaning the American people and media, start calling this fiasco in Iraq an OCCUPATION ( and not the Administration framed ' the central front of Bush's WAR on terror ' ) ~ we will not fully grasp the deepening moral and political consequences of our actions. We have built permanent military bases in Iraq, as well as a billion dollar Embassy, and have no intention of leaving !
The Center for American Progress reports on Abdullah's condemnation and the resultant feigned shock from the Cheney/Bush administration.
Allen L Roland
IRAQ -- WHITE HOUSE SHOCKED BY ABDULLAH'S CONDEMNATION OF IRAQ OCCUPATION
by Faiz Shakir, Nico Pitney,
Amanda Terkel, and Satyam Khanna / The Progress Report / Under The Radar 3/30/07
On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah denounced the "American military presence in Iraq as an "illegitimate foreign occupation" and called on the West to end its financial embargo against the Palestinians."
Yesterday, the Bush administration responded with shock to Abdullah’s declaration. “We were a little surprised to see those remarks,” said Under Secretary of State Nicholas Burns. White House spokesman Dana Perino went so far as to claim, “It is not accurate to say that the United States is occupying Iraq.”
Abdullah's remarks were just the latest instance of the Saudi's public distancing from the Bush administration. Earlier this week, the Washington Post's Jim Hoagland reported that the Saudi government rejected an offer to attend a White House state dinner with President Bush.
Prince Bandar, “the Saudi national security adviser, flew to Washington last week to explain to Bush that April 17 posed a scheduling problem. ‘It is not convenient’ was the way it was put, says one official.” "I think he was concerned that he was seen too much as Bush's friend," said Patrick Clawson, deputy director of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.
The Saudis have expressed repeated concerns over Bush's Iraq policy. The day after last year's Thanksgiving, Vice President Cheney was "summoned" to Saudi Arabia to "read him the riot act." The Saudis expressed their concerns that the United States might take the Shiite side in Iraq's civil war, disregarding the safety of the Sunni Arab community.
Allen L Roland is a practicing psychotherapist, author and lecturer who also shares a daily political and social commentary on his weblog and website allenroland.com He also guest hosts a monthly national radio show TRUTHTALK on Conscious talk radio www.conscioustalk.net
