LAKE WORTH, Fla. — Seizing on a claim that the Saudi government told the White House it would try to lower oil prices as the November election approaches, Sen. John F. Kerry on Monday questioned whether President Bush had put politics ahead of America’s economic needs.
Kerry, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, cited an assertion in a new book by Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward that Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan, told Bush that his country hoped to decrease oil prices to help the U.S. economy before election day. “That’s the Saudi pledge,” Woodward said on the CBS’ “60 Minutes” on Sunday.
I enjoy the Irony of Kerry previously slamming Bush for supposedly using incorrect information from the CIA in making a decision and then jumping on a report in a book he hasn’t even read to slander the President. This would have been a very serious charge if true and to make allegations such as this for just political posturing is irresponsible. It is funny how fast this mud-slinging bounced back as Saudi Arabia not only denies it but that Presidents Carter and Clinton did in fact ask them to lower prices during election years.
2 comments
On the same 60 Minutes, Woodward clearly said that Kerry was wrong: there is no secret deal and he is misconstruing the book. Which makes this article one of the most biased I’ve seen . . .
God bless,
Jay
In addition, Prince Bandar, the Saudi ambassador to Washington, says this is a pile of hooey. He hit this home run after a meeting with Condoleezza Rice this evening:
Saudi efforts to keep oil prices down the Saudi efforts are “not for the benefit of the president’s political needs. I think reasonable prices particularly lower oil prices between $22 and $28 is good for the American people, for the American economy, for the world economy and of course for the Saudi economy.”
“On the oil situation, I really don’t see what is the big deal there, unless somebody would like to see the oil crisis stay high.”
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In other words, contra the minds of the Kerrys of the world, things (including economic things) happen for reasons other than the dark machinations of political deal-making.