No I don't hate the Sunnis or Jews or any other large group of people for that matter. I do feel pity and remorse for some individuals, but that is about as far as it goes.
If you understood the history and make up of the Saudi society, we'd be able to discuss it better. But you really misunderstood my position and that is a pity.
Firstly, you asked what I would do if I were the US president and NOT what *I* would do. As the US president, my first responsibility would be to the American people (and *NOT* the big companies that Bush calls his base). That means that if there is a country that is actively and gravely undermining the interests of the American people, then I would not support them. This is very different than saying that I would invade them or wage a civil war or whatever. Without active American support, the Saudi government will have no choice but to moderate. And given that the make up of the Saudi society is very tribal rather than that of a modern nation state, i.e. various tribes including the Shias see themselves first as part of their tribe and much, much, later as loyal subjects to the House of Saud, and given that horrible conditions that the Saudi Shia have to endure (and here my stance is a humane one rather than a religious one), then I see nothing wrong with helping them have some equal rights.
Secondly, there has been zero evidence of Iranian nukes; just conjectures and speculations. But all the intrusive inspections have shown nothing. Just the same, your interpretation of what I said was very shortsighted. Making nice does not necessarily mean allowing Iran to develop nukes. But it does mean helping them develop peaceful nuclear power plants under joint supervision. And if they don't feel threatened, then they won't need nukes, will they?
Finally, oil is a commodity. You can buy oil futures in open markets and it just comes from an open pool of oil contracts on the markets. And if I recall correctly, only 20% of US energy needs come from the Persian Gulf and an even smaller chunk of that from the Saudis. The rest come from Venezuela, Gulf of Mexico, etc. |
