US readies arms deal with Saudis, eyeing Iran

From an official report collected by IC Publications, this has to be sorted under the “one more reason why our leaders are idiots” category:

The United States is readying a major arms package for Saudi Arabia with an eye to countering a changing threat from Iran, a senior US defense official said Friday.

Defense Secretary Robert Gates is expected to discuss the US recommendations with the Saudis next week in a visit to the kingdom with Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the official said.

“We’ve been working very hard on the Saudi arms package, which we believe is critical to the overarching architecture that we believe we are going to need … to deal with the changing strategic threat from Iran and other forces,” the official said.

The official who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity said discussions with Congress on the arms package have just begun and that no announcements were expected during Gates’ visit to Saudi Arabia.

“What there may be is discussion about what the administration is willing to go forwards with (and) … what we would recommend to the Hill and others,” she said, referring to Congress on Capitol Hill.

The official provided no details on the arms package.

But the Boston Globe reported in March that it is believed to include air and missile defense systems, advanced early warning radar aircraft, and light coastal combat ships.

The New York Times reported in April that the package had been delayed because of Israeli concerns over the sale to Saudi Arabia of certain precision guided munitions.

Gates and Rice are expected to emphasize US commitment to the region’s security at a time when there is fierce debate at home of whether to withdraw US forces from Iraq.

So, we’re going to arm one of our worst enemies, a nation that has been having many public (and most likely additional secret) talks with Iran over the past year, in hopes of what — protecting the heart of Islam and our oil imports from Iranian aggression? Brilliant. Just brilliant. Why don’t we sell half the White House to the Saudi Princes and get it over with — perhaps run the black flag of Islamic jihad above Old Glory?

George W. Bush is so in the pocket of the Saudis it is beyond all logic, reason and hope to expect anything other than a deal like this to be made. And Condoleeza Rice isn’t even qualified to understand the threats before this nation, that much is painfully obvious by now. I think Gates has more sense and is most likely being pulled along by the forces around him, but it’s difficult to be certain anymore.

God help us.

If we would just get the campaign on the road an dobliterate Iranian military infrastructure and nuclear facilities now, as we should have been planning before we even entered Afghanistan, there wouldn’t even be a call from White House advisers to put more arms into the hands of the Saudis at all. Unless of course our leadership plans on adopting Islam as our new political ideology within the next twenty years, then I suppose it makes all the sense in the world to proceed on such a ridiculous path as we have before us right now.

Can you see the contempt dripping off my words?

Turns out this package deal is going to be worth over $20 billion dollars and goes beyond even Saudi Arabia — it will also include “Pro-Western” (not my words) Gulf states like Egypt, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and Oman.