House of Bush House of Saud

[RoyGBiv]

The Bushes and Saudi Arabia
By John Freeman
Special to The Denver Post

Sunday, April 04, 2004 -

On Sept. 13, 2001, the U.S. imposed a nationwide no-fly zone, and yet more than 140 individuals were not only exempt from this rule, they also were permitted to leave the country.

Nearly all were Saudi, and roughly two dozen were kin to the man who had just orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks: Osama bin Laden. What kind of intelligence failure allowed this to happen? Were these individuals seriously questioned? Who allowed them to leave? Given that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, what was the rush in squandering what may have been a potential intelligence mother lode?

Craig Unger first reported this story in Vanity Fair. In "House of Bush, House of Saud," he places this incredible scenario in the context of a decades-old relationship between the ruling family of Saudi Arabia and America's pre-eminent political dynasty: the Bush family. In a year when the president will campaign as tough on terror and homeland security, Unger's book makes essential reading. Not only does it pose disturbing questions about Saudi involvement in 9/11, but it also presents a frighteningly believable case that the Bush administration's cozy relationship with the royal house of Saud precipitated this catastrophe.

<snip>

It seems likely that "House of Bush, House of Saud" will be labeled conspiracy theory, but Unger's research is too cautious, too elemental to support that claim. Most of his footnotes refer to articles in The New York Times, The New Yorker and other esteemed publications. Not surprisingly, former President Bush and Baker declined interviews.

More of this book review at:

<http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~28~2056759,00.html#>

Sorry if this has been posted before. I didn't see it.

[DeepModem Mom]

1. Sounds like John O'Neill was right when he said...

"Everything needed to dismantle Osama bin Laden's organization can be found in Saudi Arabia."

From the review:

"Saudi Arabia, a country built upon a schism between its fabulously wealthy royal family and the generally poor Wahhabi populace, gained extraordinary credibility by supporting bin Laden. The Saudis helped set up and fund Muslim charities, which in turn supported Bin Laden. They funded madrasa schools that taught militant extremism and then failed to provide jobs for the students when they graduated. The U.S., happy with its ability to make covert war with the Saudis and keep oil prices down, looked the other way at such impoverished conditions. The mujahadeen, however, never turned their backs to the U.S. As early as 1983, a CIA deputy was sent to Peshawar, Pakistan, to find out if they were selling weapons rather than using them in battle. A tribal chief responded quite frankly: 'Yes,' he said, 'we are. We do sell your weapons. We are doing it for the day when your country decides to abandon us, just as you abandoned Vietnam and everyone else you deal with.'"

[molly]

2. Looks like a good read

welcome to DU!

[Eurobabe]

3. great book, BTW

Yes HOB/HOS IS meticulously researched and footnoted. You know exactly where to find most of the quotes and attributions. I would like to know why more was not made of this relationship at the 9-11 hearings...remember now, those 28 pages blacked-out in the 9-11 tome to congress, to protect certain parties?

[Paradise]

4. Welcome RoyGBiv :) ! n/t (no text)

[NewJeffCT]

5. too bad the book has been lost in the Clarke hype

Not that Clarke's book was bad, but HOB/HOS seems to have gotten a LOT less publicity than it should have...

maybe if they released it next week instead of 2-3 weeks ago at the same time as Clarke's book? Oh well, hindsight is 20-20.

[leetrisck]

6. Very good book - just finished

it.

[imax2268]

7. I'm still

waiting for my copy of the Clarke book to come in the mail...should be any day now...

[ithacan]

8. same here, highly recommend

The links between the Bushes and the Saudis are very damning.

They show clearly that Bush and his cronies have sold out the security of this country for his ties with wealthy Saudis.

Read this book!