U.S. VP Cheney leaves for Egypt, Saudi Arabia

[sabra]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14184025.htm

U.S. VP Cheney leaves for Egypt, Saudi Arabia


WASHINGTON, Jan 15 (Reuters) - U.S. Vice President Dick Cheney headed to Egypt and Saudi Arabia on Sunday for meetings with leaders that are expected to focus on counterterrorism, the Palestinian election and energy.

Egypt and Saudi Arabia were to be part of a trip Cheney took in December when he visited Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Oman. But he cut short the tour to fly back to Washington to cast a tiebreaking vote in the U.S. Senate on a spending-cut measure.

Cheney's office gave only the sparest details about meetings on Tuesday with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia.

Political analysts said the visit was a chance for the Bush administration to bolster ties with two allies in the U.S. war on terror and discuss key regional issues, such as the Jan. 25 Palestinian election and the impact of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's health crisis on the Middle East peace process.

[rsmith6621]

1. So Who Is Watching the House Now

[cdb]

2. Is he bringing his own cardio doc?

Or a pup tent just in case he needs an undisclosed location?

[stevedeshazer]

3. Be afraid - they don't send Cheney out for nothing.

This surely is about the upcoming war with Iran.

Who is running this government?

[belab13]

9. Yep! This isn't a casual sit down.

Crashcart probably can't stray far from life support so I can't imagine him going over there just to discuss upcoming Pakistani elections.

[VegasWolf]

4. Must be some nice juicy oil price increases for OPEC Cheney et al.

[FogerRox]

6. Isnt the Command Bunker for Operation Iran oil in Saudi Arabia?

A true Military Commander should be near the battlefield >wink<

[Canuckistanian]

5. What's he up to, now?

Probably not enough people dying in the remote provinces of the empire.

Or maybe a new messiah has been reported and they need to lock him up.

[KC21304]

7. Juan Cole says rumors are

he is going to beg the Arab League to bail us out in Iraq.

http://www.juancole.com/




Rumors are flying in Cairo that the US is asking Arab countries to send troops to Iraq to prepare the way for a US withdrawal. This quest is said to underlie the mission of Vice President Richard Bruce Cheney to Egypt and other Arab states beginning Sunday.

Khalid Mahmud of al-Sharq al-Awsat reports from Cairo that the Arab League denied that US ambassador to Egypt Francis Ricciardone broached, during his meeting on Saturday with Secretary-General Amr Moussa, the possibility that it might send troops to Iraq to help achieve order and stability. Moussa's chief of staff, Hisham Yusuf, said that although Iraq and the Lebanon-Syria crisis had been discussed, the issue of troops for Iraq was not raised.

[jimshoes]

8. And all it will cost us is

Oregon, California and Las Vegas, (they don't want the whole state) will now be Suadi pricipalities.

[belab13]

11. Asking for SA and Egyptian support in Iraq

is not mutually exclusive to a strike on Iran, and in fact would result in putting SA and Egypt in the unenviable position of having to support US efforts against Iran and potentially being dragged into a military conflict with Iran. Hopefully they can see through this.

[HuffleClaw]

10. i expect he's there to 'lay down the law'

to them about the coming iran strike.

[Old and In the Way]

13. More like Junior Partners.

I think Cheney/Bush are the Junior Partners now. SA has too much muscle in our economy and leverage on the oil; I believe that they've wired the pumping stations with explosives as as insurance policy....they probably have Bush-Cheney totally compromised, too.

[loudsue]

12. May he love it there, and never return.

O8) Just wishin'.

[Straight Shooter]

14. He's just checking out the dungeons for the rendition flights. n/t