GOP pols rip Obama for not being faithful enough to Saudi Arabia
A growing chorus of Republican politicians are demanding that President Barack Obama respect and follow the agenda of Saudi Arabia, a country known for its export of Sunni extremist beliefs, brutal executions of petty criminals and religious heretics, and suppression of women’s rights.
From negotiations with Iran, to the ongoing Saudi bombing of Yemen, to issues of regional Middle East security, Republicans are insisting that the Saudis should be trusted.
In a major speech on Monday, Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., ripped Obama for alienating Persian Gulf regimes, including Saudi Arabia. “Just last week we saw the embarrassment of almost all the Gulf leaders, including the Saudi king, pulling out of President Obama’s summit at Camp David,” he said. Christie, who is considering a presidential bid, added, “our allies want policies, not photo ops, and we’re not listening to them.”
Former Gov. Mike Huckabee, R-Ark., has admonished the Obama administration for negotiating for a nuclear deal with Iran. “Now the Israelis are in a greater alliance with the Saudis, Jordanians and Egyptians than they are with the United States because those countries at least have the good sense to know you don’t trust the Iranians,” Huckabee said at a campaign speech in New Hampshire on April 18th.
For some lawmakers, the Saudi agenda in the region is regarded as almost sacrosanct. “It would be hypocritical for us to criticize what the Saudis are doing because they’re right there in the region and probably have better intel than we do, anyways,” Rep. Reid Ribble, R-Wisc., told C-SPAN’s Washington Journal on April 22nd.
more
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/05/20/saudi-arabia-republicans-obama/
= new reply since forum marked as read
