Fiasco in Saudi Arabia

"The former official said Ross's move to the NSC was in discussion before the Riyadh summit. "But the meeting may have been 'the final straw,' he said. "People at the NSC will obviously strenuously dispute that, but Dennis Ross is saying it to everybody. That's his narrative about the NSC and I have heard it from a number of people.""  FP

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Former official?"  Is there anyone out there who can't figure out who that is?

Very amusing...  As I have said, the battle of the narratives is on.  The neocon crowd with their love of propaganda and deception know that to dominate and win in the  battle of the narratives is to win all. 

So...  Who set Obama up for a failure in the Saudi visit?  Was it the proprietors of the "Saudi Arabia and the other Arabs agree with Israel about Iran crowd?"  Or was it the "Let's be careful about this crowd?" 

Is Dennis Ross the newly appointed and anointed "tsar" of US Middle East policy or is he positioned for the "high jump" based on a miserable performance in this and other distortions of US policy?  We shall see...  pl

Comments

[J]

I noticed that the name of the author of the Cable article is 'missing'. Hmmm.... and as for WINEP, WINEP and their membership need to be taken down under FARA and forced to register themselves as agents for a foreign government.

[LeaNder]

A new development: "Saudi Arabia and the other Arabs and the Europeans agree with Israel about Iran crowd?"

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article6715412.ece>Israeli navy in Suez Canal prepares for potential attack on Iran

The exercises come at a time when Western diplomats are offering support for an Israeli strike on Iran in return for Israeli concessions on the formation of a Palestinian state.

If agreed it would make an Israeli strike on Iran realistic “within the year” said one British official.

Diplomats said that Israel had offered concessions on settlement policy, Palestinian land claims and issues with neighboring Arab states, to facilitate a possible strike on Iran.

“Israel has chosen to place the Iranian threat over its settlements,” said a senior European diplomat.

and of course the Jerusalem Post picks up the story, who else will follow?
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443824234&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull>World may back Iran op as part of deal

[curious]

hmm,

- Israel putting words in Saudi's mouth about them allowing "air right" certainly makes some sense. (Saudi is pissed)

- Israel gave a giant FU on Palestinian "independence" (long list of what they cannot have), followed by request what the arab world must give in exchange (normalization, air space right, etc)

-Oil price stayed at $70 plus, then $60+ and now going back up.

-Hillary start demanding "arab" to do more.

- The pro Israel lobbyists effect is apparent. Overal, this is going to be bad for the economy if oil stays at $60+.

Basically, more of the same. And as world economy recover, energy cost and world capital flow will change if Arab-US tension is not resolved.

-----

at any rate, we are seeing the first result of not having Freeman in the cabinet.

Frankly it's time to clean up the neocon completely out of the system, or else nothing will work.

[Chris]

"Is there anyone out there who can't figure out who that is?"

PL, longtime reader, first time commenter.

Who are you implicating - Chas Freeman?

[Patrick Lang]

chris

Come now... If I had wanted to tell you, I would have done so. pl

[town crier]

Curious,

A development more momentous than Patriot Act occurred last evening- the passage of the zionist-sponsored censorship bill S909. Now even protesting the infiltration and abuse of our nation by these traitorous foreignors is 'illegal' and actionable. Have no doubt about who was behind this and how it will be used. Truly marks the end of democracy as we once knew it. The line has been crossed.

[jamzo]

so dennis ross has been moved to national security to save the naive obamaites from further humiliation by advising them on what they need to do to deal with the saudis effectively?

[Sand]

my guess would be Elliott Abrams.

[steve]

town crier:

S909 has nothing at all to do with what you implied--

"This legislation seeks to expand upon 1969 U.S. federal hate-crime law by extending its scope towards bodily crimes motivated by a victim’s actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability."

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s909/show

[Fred]

Perhaps the press should ask Dennis Ross if he believes the Isreali Government should live up to the principles espoused in their Decalaration of Independnece.

[J]

Fred,

Israeli Government live up to their Declaration of Independence? You've got to be kidding? It's like Shulamit Aloni wrote in her Haaretz article -- "A unique people," wrote David Ben-Gurion. Alas, for that uniqueness. Instead of a Jewish and democratic state they have delivered us a Jewish state controlled by religious fanaticism, one that maintains the purity of the race. They have delivered a democracy in the most primitive sense - not the preservation of democratic values but rule by the demos, the populace that is dictating the transformation of Israel into a totalitarian ethnocracy.

Hooray for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman - they are eradicating everything we built, everything we dreamed about and everything we fought for. ---

Israel today is a dictatorship, and the Israeli government (LEADERSHIP/IDF/SHINBET-SHABAK/MOSSAD) are this 21st Century's Hitleresque Jack-booted SS Storm Troopers.

[LeaNder]

my guess would be Elliott Abrams.

Yes, that would be a "former official", as it would fit the overall "taste" of the comments. He was with Bush in Riyat, would that still count as recently?

It seems Chris didn't read Laura Rozen's article. Why would she cite Freeman both as an "former official" and as Chas Freeman? Or have his "Saudi connections" left such a deep impression? Strictly, would he be called a "former official"? Wasn't he out of the "official" business for quite some time ...?

The former official said Ross's move to the NSC was in discussion before the Riyadh summit. "But the meeting may have been 'the final straw,' he said. "People at the NSC will obviously strenuously dispute that, but Dennis Ross is saying it to everybody. That's his narrative about the NSC and I have heard it from a number of people."

Feels like someone that moves in Ross' networks.

[LeaNder]

Surely interesting in the context of Laura's initiative to balance the rumor mill with Chas Freeman at the center. Are these two articles by: http://justworldnews.org/archives/003685.html>Helena Cobban and http://www.philipweiss.org/mondoweiss/2009/07/this-is-important-gosh-i-wish-i-could-do-something-about-it-yesterday-on-her-blog-helena-cobban-noted-that-david-makovsky.html#idc-container>Phil Weiss

Some more info on David Makovsky on whose "expertise" Laura ends.

[William R. Cumming]

To understand the Obama Administration and US policy with respect to any other country or area of the world it is extremely important to understand what the former members of the Bush Administration are doing and advocating? Is this INTEL?

[J]

Ok, my bad, the author of the article is Laura Rozen. I missed it at the bottom. Eye rub, eye rub.

[Harper]

My latest word on the Ross transfer to the White House is that he was isolated at State, and went screaming to Rahm Emanuel and David Axelrod, both friends, that he needed to be where the action is. Ross got the State appointment after heavy AIPAC lobbying of Axelrod in December. Ross will try to make the most of his proximity to the President. I earlier had gotten strong indications that Ross was downgraded by the transfer, but now, seeing how Emanuel, Axelrod and Denis McDonough seem to be scheming against Jones, Clinton and Gates, I am less confident that the Ross move is of little consequence.

[J]

Hmmm....some 'packing' of the jackals Emanuel/Ross and company against real meat-eaters Jones/Clinton/Gates. My money is on the meat-eaters.