Remember last month when Vice Pres. Cheney made a quick and apparently unplanned visit to Saudi Arabia? Cynics that we are, we suggested that the purpose of his trip was to raise money for Pres. Bush’s $500 million “lie-berry” to be built in Texas after that glorious day when Bush leaves office.
Yesterday, we learned that Cheney’s visit may have been in response to an announcement by the Saudis that they intend to side with their Sunni brethren in the Iraq Civil War when the United States deploys its troops out of the country.
Today, for what it is worth, Bush spokesman Tony Snow denied that the Saudis made the threat:
The White House said on Wednesday Saudi Arabia shared U.S. concerns about the future of Iraq and denied it threatened to take sides in Iraqi sectarian violence if the United States pulls out its troops.
The comments came in response to a report in The New York Times that Saudi Arabia has told Washington it might give financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in their fight against Shi’ites if the United States withdraws from Iraq. “That’s not Saudi government policy,” White House spokesman Tony Snow told reporters. “The Saudis have made it clear that they are committed to the same goals we are, which is a self-sustaining Iraq,” Snow said. “I’d refer any further comments to the Saudi government but, certainly, their stated public policy and the policy that they have shared with us does not reflect that.” According to the Times, Saudi King Abdullah delivered that message to Vice President Dick Cheney during Cheney’s visit to Riyadh last month. The Times cited unnamed U.S. officials and Arab diplomats.
So why did Cheney rush to Riyadh at the end of November?
