ARAB PRESS REACTIONS TO BUSH VISIT: "An Absurd, Sadistic Image"

[FourScore]

Papers in the Middle East are sharply critical of Bush's current Middle East visit, saying the United States is obsessed with Iran and that he is backpedaling on the positions he staked out at Annapolis.

United States President George W. Bush headed for Saudi Arabia on Monday, the next stop on his eight-day trip through the Middle East. So far, it has been a journey of firsts. It was the first time he visited Israel during his presidency and was the first time an American president visited Bahrain. It is likewise the first time Bush has made a trip to Saudi Arabia.

He came bearing gifts. His adminstration informed Congress on Monday that it intended to sell Saudi Arabia $20 billion worth of arms. His message, though, has focused consistently on the need for piece between Israelis and Palestinians and on the dangers posed to the region by Iran.

It was the latter message that commentators in a number of papers in the region chose to focus on.

The left-wing Lebanese daily As-Safir writes:

"...The explicit aim of the lame duck visit to the region is to foster hatred for Iran among Arab countries ... and to urge them to stand together with Israel against what the American president calls 'terrorism'... A responsible Arab delivered the necessary response. Prince Saud al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia insisted that 'Iran will always remain a friend, a partner and a neighbor for the Arab region.'"

The pro-regime United Arab Emirates daily Khaleej Times writes:

"...Unfortunately, the focus of this epoch-making visit to Abu Dhabi and Dubai has been on the US preoccupation with Iran, rather than America's strong and healthy relations with the UAE and other Gulf allies."

"Just as the Gulf countries have healthy relations with the West, including the US, they also have historical, cultural and economic ties with Iran. The UAE happens to be Iran's biggest trading partner. This is why the UAE and other Gulf countries wouldn't want any more confrontation and conflict between the US and Iran. The Middle East and Gulf region, already suffering from two conflicts, cannot afford any more tensions. Peace and only peace is the way forward."

The Syrian daily As-Sawra wrote:

"This is a new chapter in the series of lies that has characterized the Bush administration. He wants us to believe that he seeks peace and that Iran, and not Israel, is the danger. America does not want peace for the Arabs, but rather their surrender. It doesn't seek democracy but the control of the whole region. And it doesn't want to confront Iran for the sake of the Arabs -- it does so for Israel's sake. Neither is Bush seeking stability for the region -- he just looks for stability for Israel. But he would be better advised to pressure Israel to help prevent a nuclear arms race in the region rather than asking Arab countries to confront Iran over the development of its civilian nuclear program."

MORE AT:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,528561,00.html

[Angela Shelley]

1. The message is loud and clear!

[Seabiscuit]

2. Looks like King George isn't fooling the locals with his PNAC madness.

Amurikans are far easier to fool than the Ali Babas of the world.

[L0oniX]

3. Thankfully we can still get this kind of news, but how much longer will that happen?

[bdamomma]

4. kick

[SpiralHawk]

5. "We don't trust that smirking AWOL Preppy Peddler of WMD lies." - A-rabs

"I mean, really. Your Excessively Vacationed Commander AWOL Bush lied to you about having been AWOL, from the National Guard, he lied to you about 9/11, about Hurricane Katrina, and about the totally phony WMD in Iraq. Do your really think we A-rabs are big enough SUCKERS to swallow the BS from this clown and his sidekick, VP Dickie "Five Military Deferments" Cheney? Bwaaa ha ha ha ha. Get real."

- A-rabs

[rockybelt]

6. And how much

of this reporting will you see on the MSM?

This administration is so corrupt and arrogant that they believe just by saying we are here to help you and not harm you, that people with any intelligence at all will believe them.

It's right there in black and white. Saudi Arabia will side with Iran in a confrontation as will the rest of the Middle East, Russia and China.

Yet, let's sell the Saudis $20 billion worth of weapons to assist them in their defense of Iran.

I'll be this doesn't even make tonight's news, let alone being a major story as to how the Middle East now views the United States.

[shain from kane]

7. And naive Condi Rice as Secretary of State is pushing this strategery. The Arabs must

really think that she's a numbskull.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. Then, They Would Be Correct

Wouldn't they?
The Professor

[mikeytherat]

15. Not entirely. Numbskulls occasionally get something done.

mikey_the_rat

[bvar22]

8. Just what the Middle East needs:

MORE WEAPONS.....
especially in the hands of one of the most repressive dictorial monarchies in the Middle East.

15 of the 19 9-11 Hijackers were from the country that bush* just gave the f-16s to.

[ladjf]

9. 95% of the literate people in the world know clearly that Bush

is a war criminal and a traitor.

The only discussions about Bush should be the ones that are constructive toward his punishment for the crimes he has committed. All else is a waste of time and bandwidth.

[Angela Shelley]

11. and 100% of the illiterate know this too.

[NMDemDist2]

12. thanks, I just set the DVR to record Mosaic on LinkTV

should be interesting....

[AntiFascist]

13. BWAHAHAHA, Bush's friends are turning on him n/t

[butterfly77]

14. He doesn't have a clue...

It seems as though they made sure that they could get every photo they could, of him making a fool of himself and he thinks that it's cute..

[Imagevision]

16. Senior Bush asks for decline in oil production - Bush jr. ask for more output? Americans? >suckers

[malaise]

17. You have to have access to overseas media

or all you'll have is photo ops of Bush collecting gifts.
MSM is controlled by pro war goons and hacks.

[FourScore]

18. ain't it the truth! n/t

[jbnow]

19. It could be a long year. He represents us AND

the consequences of his actions will affect everyone.

Did they believe this would fool people there? Gee, even the scary boat attack tape couldn't do it? They saw through that before our media was questioning it (publicly at least)

Saudi Arabia gets $20 billion worth of arms...isn't that sensible.

Hey! The military estimated that though foreign fighters came from all surrounding countries in Iraq a pretty large majority came from Saudi Arabia and most of the weapons were smuggled from there.
So...can we arrest bush for providing arms used to attack our troops?