I am Shocked, Shocked to Find that the Saudis are Unhelpful!
By It would be comic, but for the tragedy:
Now, Bush administration officials are voicing increasing anger at what they say has been Saudi Arabia’s counterproductive role in the Iraq war. They say that beyond regarding Mr. Maliki as an Iranian agent, the Saudis have offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq. Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow.
One senior administration official says he has seen evidence that Saudi Arabia is providing financial support to opponents of Mr. Maliki. He declined to say whether that support was going to Sunni insurgents because, he said, “That would get into disagreements over who is an insurgent and who is not.”
Who could have guessed when we launched a war designed to revolutionize the Middle East that the most conservative and reactionary regime in the area wouldn’t be overtly helpful? It’s almost as if reactionaries don’t care for revolution, although I understand how that basic insight could be lost upon a crew that started out as Trotskyites, became reactionaries, and have of late tried to restyle themselves as revolutionary liberals.