Woodward: Saudi envoy trying to "fuzz up" meeting

[kskiska]

He says Bandar told him he thought Iraq war was imminent

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan's assertions that he did not learn of President Bush's decision to launch war on Iraq before Secretary of State Colin Powell are false, journalist Bob Woodward told CNN on Friday.

"For some reason, Bandar wants to fuzz this up," said Woodward, whose book "Plan of Attack" tells of a meeting in early January 2003 in which Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld briefed Bandar on war plans.

(snip)

"Both Vice President Cheney and Secretary Rumsfeld told me before the briefing that the president has not made a decision yet, but here is the plan," Bandar said.

(snip)

"Bandar called me last night," he added. "Woke me up -- a quarter of 12. And we went through this. And I said, 'What are you doing?' "

Woodward said Bandar told him that he had officially been told that a decision had not been made, but that the White House had made it clear the decision was in fact made.

"I said, 'Well, the issue here is when you left that meeting did you think the president had decided on war?' Woodward told CNN. "Bandar said 'absolutely.'"

more…
http://www.cnn.com/2004/ALLPOLITICS/04/23/woodward.bandar/

[GreenGreenLimaBean]

1. even after suicide bombers hitting them this week

they are still hanging on to the chimp*. methinks the saudi royal
family is going to go down along with bush*

[Must_B_Free]

2. King point blank confirmed with Woodward what he was saying

That's what has pissed me off about this stuff - the Bushes had successfully confues the situation with Woodward's help. I think what Woodward was trying to do in the first place was to try to present the material as objective. That's why for the first whole week he really didn't say anything too definitively, he was trying not to be preachy. Instead he said - judge for yourself.

What he clarified tonight is that the President, on tape, clearly greees with the assertions that they are trying to escape from. Woodward has gotten the testimony that they would never agree to have given under oath, but he has them etched in audio history for posterity anyway. And he has gotten them on record in the court of public opinion.

He pounded a nail in and pinned these guys down finally. The part about having tape confirms that these guys are finally nailed down to something they can't wiggle out from.

[DeepModem Mom]

3. I would be seriously creeped out by a late-night call...

from Prince Bandar, in the midst of controversy involving the Saudis and the Bushes.