The Saudis and the Election

[troublemaker]

Michael Moore and Bob Woodward aside... the Bush family has been very close to the Saudis in the past, but that doesn't mean Saudi Arabia wants or can even afford four more years of Bush. Being in Iraq we are poised to "restore order" if (when) the Saudi royals get overthrown, and once in we would be there to stay. For Kerry it would be vital to maintain the Saudi royals against all threats because Kerry knows better than to occupy Mecca. For Bush letting the royals go down to create an opportunity is just another thing to think about.

Today we are awash in stories about how OPEC has "lost control" of the price of oil. Maybe OPEC really is an innocent bystander in this move above $50/barrel... or maybe OPEC has some small ability to influence the conventional wisdom of oil traders. (It helps to be a zillionaire)

Simply put, it is weird to assume that any Arab state (or Venezuela, for that matter) wants four more years.

And this current move in oil prices is going to hit US gas pumps about 10 days before the election. (article below)

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=568&e=4&u=/nm/20040928/bs_nm/energy_gasoline_consumers_dc