Bandar Bush Bails

Saudi Arabia's Longtime Ambassador to the U.S. Is Resigning - New York Times: "Prince Bandar bin Sultan, who in 22 years as the Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States operated as an insider's insider and wielded enormous influence in Washington over successive administrations, is resigning for 'private reasons,' Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday."

Make no mistake.  This is intimately connected to the impending decline of Saudi Arabia's oil production capacity.  Once the illusion that they are going to be able to maintain or even increase their production begins to crumble, their political fortunes will rapidly deteriorate.  The deference that they are granted in the corridors of power in the west is due entirely to their status as a swing producer.  When it becomes clear that this status is no longer based in reality, the knives will come out.  Bandar is getting while the getting is good.

•  I, for one,

  won't be sad to see Bandar go nor certainly the undue influence of the Saudi's in general.

  I wonder how much Bandar has been helping the terrorist cells?

  by Ga6thDem on Wed Jul 20, 2005 at 09:27:06 PM PDT

•  his replacement

  Prince Turki al-Faisal (sp?) has a known history with bin Laden dating back to the mujahedin days in Afghanistan in the 80s.  He was the Saudi intelligence chief for 27 years.

  "...meet the new boss, same as the old boss..."

  by dday on Wed Jul 20, 2005 at 10:44:42 PM PDT

•  If this is correct

  Then we should all be fairly worried, as the long emergency is indeed about to begin:
  

  Now we are faced with the global oil-production peak. The best estimates of when this will actually happen have been somewhere between now and 2010. In 2004, however, after demand from burgeoning China and India shot up, and revelations that Shell Oil wildly misstated its reserves, and Saudi Arabia proved incapable of goosing up its production despite promises to do so, the most knowledgeable experts revised their predictions and now concur that 2005 is apt to be the year of all-time global peak production.
  
  
  It will change everything about how we live.

  The predictions in the recent Reolling Stone article are gloomy; a major economic collapse based on the failure of the oil based economy.

  Bandar may indeed be getting out while he can.

  Auget largiendo

  by herdsire on Wed Jul 20, 2005 at 10:57:48 PM PDT

•  Bandar given classified war info by CHENEY

  Speaking of Bandar Bush, why hasn't this come up in relation to the Plame leak?

  From Woodward's "Plan of Attack"
  "...on Saturday, Jan. 11, Cheney invited Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the Saudi ambassador, to his West Wing office. Rumsfeld and Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were also there... Sitting on the edge of the table in Cheney's office, Myers took out a large map labeled TOP SECRET NOFORN. The NOFORN meant NO FOREIGN -- classified material not to be seen by any foreign nation... Staring intently at the 2-by-3-foot Top Secret map, Bandar, a former fighter pilot, asked a few questions about air operations. Could he have a copy of the large map so he could brief Crown Prince Abdullah? he asked, referring to the de facto leader of Saudi Arabia. 'Above my pay grade,' Myers said. 'We'll give you all the information you want,' Rumsfeld said. As for the map, he added, 'I would rather not give it to you, but you can take notes if you want.'" [p. 264]

  This, along with the Plame leak as well as the leak of Naeem Noor Khan's arrest, show a criminal pattern. These three items are more than enough for impeachment. If not knowingly criminal, these at the very least show massive incompetence by the White House.

  by mrd71 on Wed Jul 20, 2005 at 11:38:13 PM PDT

•  Power positioning

  With King Fahd's declining health Bandar will want to be back in Saudi Arabia toget a better position of influence. Bandar has had a free rein in America but all that could change if he doesn't play his cards right.

  by Scarce on Thu Jul 21, 2005 at 02:36:26 AM PDT

•  Question

  Could it have anything to do with Prince Bandar being the primary pitchman to the other Gulf States to provide support for what has become a huge debacle?

  by Habanero on Sat Aug 20, 2005 at 08:28:04 PM PDT