"CHumPs!"


How pathetic? This pathetic:

Saudi Arabia has told the Bush administration that it might provide financial backing to Iraqi Sunnis in any war against Iraq’s Shiites if the United States pulls its troops out of Iraq, according to American and Arab diplomats.

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia conveyed that message to Vice President Dick Cheney two weeks ago during Mr. Cheney’s whirlwind visit to Riyadh, the officials said. During the visit, King Abdullah also expressed strong opposition to diplomatic talks between the United States and Iran, and pushed for Washington to encourage the resumption of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, senior Bush administration officials said.

CNN goes even further, saying that King Abdullah "read the riot act" to the dick, um, I mean Dick.

Either way, this underscores the literal chicken-running-around-with-its-head-cut-off Team Bush Middle Eastern policy: You've got the neo-con slavish devotion to Israel...then you've got Saudi Arabia treating us like incompetent hired help, i.e., they summon Big Time to tell him in no uncertain terms that while it might not be possible to unshit the bed, he'd better keep at it with his bucket and sponge (well, he'd better have HIS servants keep at it) until THEY say so.

As for the interests of, oh, I don't know, the UNITED STATES?!!? Neither Dick nor Shrub seems to really be all that concerned...hell, Shrub's been on an "I'm the 21st Century Harry Truman" kick/tantrum, when he hasn't been lamenting his permanantly tarnished legacy...which he insists, ruefully, will only be polished to a fine spit-shine "once he's dead." Aw, poor baby.

Don't worry about leaving behind any shine-kit, Shrub. Tarnish that bad don't even come out with a mix of hydrochloric acid, Lava soap, and Goop hand gel...