Collin was prescient in regard to Bandar

[The Lone Liberal]

All during the Reagan-Bush era Saddam Hussein was the darling of the Republican party. Huge loans, grants and aide was bestowed upon him. Former Secretary of State James Baker offered these reasons for this munificence in his autobiography “The Politics of Diplomacy.”

1. Iraq was a potential helpful ally in the Middle-east peace process
2. Saddam could be used to contain the emerging threat from Iranian Islamic fundamentalism.
3. Incentives for Saddam could stem nuclear proliferation and enhance the Arab-Israeli peace
4. The American farmers made me do it.

All in all it was a love fest during the 80s. It all came to a halt April 2nd , 1990. That was the day that Saddam issued a statement that he had chemical weapons and would use them to “make fire eat up half of Israel.” The Bush administration went in to overdrive, with Secretary of State James Baker issuing a angry warning in response to Saddam’s statement.

Saddam’s counter was to get on the phone to the Saudis. Who in turn dispatched Prince Bandar to heal the wounds.

According to Craig Unger in the book, House of Bush, House of Saud, Bandar was close to

James Baker, Secretary of State
Brent Scowcroft, National Security Advisor
Dick Cheney, Secretary of Defense
And
Collin Powell, Chairman of the Joint Chief of Staff

Between 1984 and 1987, Bandar had meet, or talked with Secretary of Defense Casper Weinberger at 64 times.

August 23, 1993, in the New York Times, Collin Powell noted with distress that the Saudi billionaire (Prince Bandar) functioned as if he were a cabinet officer within the Bush administration. Oh, Collin were you ever so right again?

[cornermouse]

1. Remember when the repubs were "appalled" that

Hillary might be having a voice in running the government? Remember the various scandals they tried to create about Clinton officials giving secrets away to other countries and people sleeping in the Lincoln bedroom for favors?

Prince Bandar's about fixing the 04 election. And if what I heard today was accurate, it looks as though the Saudis are going to proceed according to plan even though the plan is now exposed.

What's going on now is much worse that anything they accused Clinton of. The republicans are rancid.

[greatauntoftriplets]

2. I NEVER trusted Colin Powell. Call it woman's intuition....

Whatever. Never ever.