re: #382 Cato the Elder

I’m pretty sure we can do without the “real intel wrapped in phony intel” part.

The Saudis cannot afford another oil boycott, else they would have repeated the experiment by now.

OPEC is hardly monolithic anymore. No power to boycott. So my question remains: what could the Saudis possibly do to us, in case of a suspension of aid to the Palestinians, that they haven’t already done? Send us more bogus students? Bush was the guy who agreed to up the ante on that one. Increase the anti-Israel rhetoric? How could that be accomplished?

A few guesses:

1.) Stop allowing our military having any sort of presence in Saudi Arabia and refuse to let us use their airspace, then pressure other Muslim countries (who depend on their aid) to do the same. I’m not sure how out military carries out operations in Afghanistan & Iraq, but I’m guessing it would create a serious logistical problem for our troops if enough countries joined in. Considering the geography of the area, I would think it might also hamper access to Iran & the Persian Gulf and points beyond.

2.) Ramp up the export of Wahhabi ideology.

3.) As for the anti-Israel rhetoric, it could easily become anti-U.S. rhetoric as well.

I’d also keep in mind the fact that Mecca is in Saudi Arabia. Any attack on Mecca—accidental or otherwise—would trigger a massive conflict reaching from the shores of Europe to the Far East. Even a perceived threat to Mecca could start a major upheaval. Sunnis, Shias, Arabs, Turks, Kurds, Pakistanis, etc. would all put their differences aside in defense of Mecca. I guarantee it.

Would the Saudis risk do any of those things over us cutting off aid to the Palestinians? I don’t know. What I do know is it’s not a joke and nor would it be solved by some sort of cowboy “let’s nuke ‘em all back to the Stone Age” bullshit. I’m not saying that you (or any here is recommending that), but I have heard people—including at least one politician, Tom Tancredo—speak of bombing Mecca.