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A Daily Chronicle of Bush Administration Distortion April 21, 2004

     

Bush Still Has Not Explained Ties to Saudi Arabia



Four days after esteemed journalist Bob Woodward revealed new ties between President Bush and the Saudi Arabian government, the president has yet to directly address the charges. According to Woodward, Saudi Arabia issued a "pledge" to Bush to "increase [oil] production several million barrels a day" over the summer "as we get closer to the election"1.

Last month, Saudi Arabia led the fight within OPEC to cut production and raise gas prices in America to record levels2. However, since Woodward's charges became public, the president has not answered whether that earlier move by the Saudis was part of a deliberate effort to raise prices now so that prices could then be lowered closer to the election.

The new allegations once again put President Bush's close ties to the Saudis front and center. Despite the Saudi government's potential ties to terrorists and 9/113, the president still calls the Saudis "our friend"4 and Vice President Cheney continues to dote on the royal family5. As CBS News reports, Bush has "personal and deep financial ties with the Saudi royal family"6. Author and journalist Craig Unger, who wrote House of Bush, House of Saud, documents $1.4 billion that has "made its way" from the Saudi royal family to "entities tied" to the Bush family.

Sources:
  1. "Saudi Envoy Promised Bush a Drop in Oil Prices Ahead of Election", Bloomberg News, 04/09/2004.
  2. "Saudi envoy plays nice with White House on oil supply", USA Today, 04/02/2004.
  3. "Saudi Government Provided Aid to 9/11 Hijackers, Sources Say", Los Angeles Times, 08/02/2003.
  4. President Bush Vows to Bring Terrorists to Justice, 05/16/2003.
  5. White House Photo Gallery.
  6. "The Tangled Web Of U.S.-Saudi Ties", CBS News, 04/20/2004.



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