Biden shouldn't go to Saudi Arabia

[Cyrano]

No American president should ever go to Saudi Arabia, or meet with their murderous crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, the murderer of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Not to mention that nineteen of those who attacked us on 9/11 were Saudis. Usama Bin Laden was a Saudi with close ties to the royal family. Does anyone really believe the Saudi powers that be didn't finance 9/11? Or that they had nothing at all to do with it? Or that, at the very least, they knew about it in advance? Give. Me. A. Fucking Break.

So instead of attacking Saudi Arabia, we attacked Iraq. The WMDs were bullshit and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

Let's face it. It is, and always has been, about oil. Look at what Russia's invasion of Ukraine has done to oil prices. Had we attacked Saudi Arabia, the country that made 9/11 possible, oil would probably be $200 a gallon and we'd have to go back to horses and buggies.

Nonetheless, no American president should ever set foot in Saudi Arabia, or meet with the Royal Family that owns the country, the oil, and everyone who lives there.

President Biden. Please. Stay the fuck away from Prince Mohammid Bin Salman.

(Just read that Biden has put off this trip until July. Gotta' wonder why.)

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. ITA.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

2. Of course he should.

Putin's invasion of Ukraine has made this the most defining moment since WWII and to help defeat him it is imperative that Joe Biden reaches an accommodation with Saudi Arabia that results in them opening their oil reserves.

The current situation, with nations heavily dependent on Russian oil, keeps revenue flowing to Putin. Allied states desperately wish to staunch the flow of money, but they will require alternate supplies.

Saudi oil represents the only real option to fill the gap.

In the balance of competing national interests it is imperative that Joe Biden goes to Saudi Arabia to make a deal, despite the fact of the complicity of MBS in the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The president understand this full-well, as does his national security team.

It is a suck-y part of the job to deal with people and regiemes one finds loathsome, but that's part of the requirement of being a statesman.

The inflationary effects of energy embargos threaten friendly government in Europe (and around the globe) and it emboldens populist extremists who side with Putin.

To say nothing of the threat inflation poses to Democrats. We can not afford Republican gains in Congress or a loss of the White House.

A lot rides on this. Biden is wise to seek a raprachmont with Saudi Arabia, despite his rightful antipathy tord MBS.

It need to be done.

[hlthe2b]

3. Yes. Do I like it? No. But necessary

Gas prices are going to be levied square on the head of aBiden and Dems. We have to show we are doing everything possible. It is Hardly the first or only time the US has had to engage murderous dictator regimes. The difference is that we don’t give the Trump-like free reign.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

5. Biden doesn't like it any more than you are I might like it.

But far too much is at stake to allow oil revenues to keep flowing to Putin and/or inflationary pressures to upend the economies of liberal democracies not to act.

Thank goodness we have a wise president with an impressive national security team.

Helping open Saudi production is a vital national (and international) security issue. Like it, or don't.

[Cyrano]

4. So because the Saudi's are living on sea of oil,

they once again get to control us and how much our democracy is willing to put up with?

If the Saudis are all that important to "world stability," why did Biden postpone his trip until July? He sure as hell didn't do it because he wants to see Europeans suffer. And this single fact makes me question the accuracy of your analysis.

It also makes me wonder if your stay here on DU may be rather short. (My apologies in advance if I'm wrong about this.)

[Just A Box Of Rain]

6. Yes. Just like Putin's oil and gas give him leverage and

his nuclear arsenal affords him other luxuries.

If Biden delayed his trip, it is likely because a deal has not been fully worked out.

Biden will not go for no reason. It is not a trip anyone is joyful to make.

[Cyrano]

7. "... a deal has not been fully worked out."

Okay. In the meanwhile, I'm going over to the Federalist Society website to check out their latest tsunami of propaganda

[Just A Box Of Rain]

8. What are you suggesting here?

The implications are deeply offensive and unwarranted.

I support Democrat Joseph R. Biden in this matter and you are who is at one at odds with a Democratic administration.

You can go the Federalist Society or anywhere else you need to go to find comfort as you bash fellow Democrats.

Very uncool move.

[Lonestarblue]

13. Just like our own fossil fuel industry is controlling prices at the pump.

They have given one excuse after another for not increasing production, but the infrastructure is there. They were producing ver 13 million barrels per day in 2019. Now it’s 11.6. The high profits are just too good to give up. The oil execs don’t actually care what happens to the economy because they’re too rich to be hurt.

[imavoter]

9. I can't remember what TV interview it was when Obama was a new president...

60 Minutes maybe...
In any event. I'm paraphrasing here
but he said: much of my day is spent
deciding between two options, neither of which
is a good outcome. So I have to pick
the one that is less bad.

This feels like that.

[Alhena]

10. There are too many bad guys in the world to adopt a policy of not dealing with bad guys

This particular bad guy has the power to heavily affect American interests, positively or negatively. We have to deal with him, unsavory though it may be.

[BlackSkimmer]

11. K and r.

Bad idea.

[moondust]

12. Realpolitik.

OED: realpolitik
noun
politics based on practical rather than moral or ideological considerations.

I don't know any specifics of the visit but I do know that gas prices are still rising--up about 40-50 cents/gal just in the past week near me. And VZ may now be more disagreeable after not being invited to the Summit of the Americas this week.

[Mosby]

14. I agree with you.

He should send Blinken or Kamala.

If he goes, which seems fairly certain, he needs to avoid the photographers.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

16. Do you believe that Biden would not take that action if he believed

it could secure a deal with Saudi Arabia to open their taps?

At this juncture it seems certain that a presidential visit will be the cost of a deal.

No one likes it, but the alternatives are immeasurably worse.

[yaesu]

15. Its like Obama having to meet wit lying putin, he was disgusted, didn't want to do it but

he had to as the West must confront dictators and dictators are afraid to travel outside their countries.

[Just A Box Of Rain]

17. Yep. American presidents have to operate in the real world

whether they like it, or not.

[ancianita]

18. He should. Warn them to their faces, about who he is, what he'll do, & not to fuck with him.

These trips are never just about the obvious. No president ever travels to deal with just one thing. He's likely arranging a number of things that are part of a longer term setup that he's planned. Just off the top of my head, I'll bet one of many things he'll settle is to warn them about why their days of Trump/Kushner payoffs are over.

[CloudWatcher]

19. Maybe he could go with some handcuffs

Maybe he could go with some handcuffs and bring MBS back to the US for trial. Other than that, there's little reason to meet with a cold blooded murderer.

We need to give enough weapons to Ukraine to drive Russia from their soil quickly. Once the war is over, the price of oil reverts back to the normal disgusting situation and no sweetheart deals with the Saudis are needed.

[Raine]

20. Agree too. nt

[Xolodno]

21. Doesn't have a choice.

Obama tried to open the door for Iran and TFG with his actions promptly nailed it shut. We are sanctioning Russia and Venezuela so that leaves them out. So back to the devil we know....