The band welcoming Bush to Saudi Arabia. Photos by Silva
by Mark Silva
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- On the day that the Bush adminstration sent a $20 billion arms package for Saudi Arabia to Congress, the king welcomed the visiting American president for two days of meetings and ceremony crowning Bush's tour of the Middle East.
For Bush, who likes to turn in early at night, the evenig agenda in Riyadh could be daunting: Dinner awaiting him at the palace this evening was to be followed by meetings with King Abdullah starting at 9 pm Saudi time and threatening to press on close to midnight.
Bush will be discussing his "freedom agenda'' with the king, according to a senior Bush administration official. Bush "will urge his majesty…to continue to do what he did in Lebanon…to make a strategic investment in the future of a region that would not be dominated by extremists."
Asked about whether the price of oil has come up with any of the Gulf State leaders whom Bush has met on this trip, the official said: "It has not come up so far in the conversations that I have been party to…It’s a sensitive subject, and I'm sure the president, if he covered it, would cover it in a one-on-one setting."
Bush and White House staffers were staying at the king's palace guest house tonight.
“The king certainly knows the president well because he knows the dinner should be held relatively early for our early-to-bed president,'' said Dana Perino, the White House press secretary, reporting on the dinner of artichoke soup, mixed grille of lamb and potatoes, red rice with shrimp and potato stew. “They also recognize the president’s vices and had apple tarts with ice cream.’’
It's also cold here -- and they are predicting a possibility of snow in Saudi Arabia.
"I asked an oil minister here when he remembers the last time it snowed here,'' said Ed Gillespie, the president's communications director. "He said it was 1968.’’
Gillespie, Perino and others have been downplaying the role that the issue of Iran is playing in these talks -- maintaining that they have a lot more to talk about. Today, en route to Riyadh, Steve Hadley, the national security adviser, said aboard Air Force One that leaders in the region have mainly been interested in talking about their own progress.
"The focus of these discussions is really on what these leaders have been doing for their countries,'' Hadley said.
The king's royal guard welcomed Bush to Riyadh
"That is the overwhelming story here," Hadley ininsisted, and when asked about the other story -- the administration's case against Iran and the pursuit of support for the administration's policy toward Irn, Hadley said everyone knows where Bush stands. ""They all agreed that it's a difficult situation that has to be addressed and will be dealt with in a diplomatic fashion."
"These folks.. Are on board with the freedom agenda and are pursuing it," he said.
Asked about the arms package sent up to Capitol Hll, Hadley said this is something they've been talking abo for some time -- a "pretty big package, lots of pieces.''
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Comments
Sounds more like the Carlyle Group agenda.
Posted by: dt | January 14, 2008 12:23 PM
Good to know King George got his eat on before NOT addressing the price of oil.
"It has not come up so far in the conversations that I have been party to…It’s a sensitive subject, and I'm sure the president, if he covered it, would cover it in a one-on-one setting."
Just get your sleep and grub on King George. After all the 9/11 pilots where from Iraq. Right Mr Bush?
p.s. don't forget to say hi to Bandar Bush for all of us little people back here in the states.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/baefiles/story/0,,2090576,00.html
http://mattwelch.com/NatPostSave/bandar.htm
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/07/21/international/middleeast/21bandar.html?_r=1&oref=slogin
Posted by: Bush Family Value$ | January 14, 2008 1:18 PM
I don't see how the words 'freedom' and 'Saudi Arabia' go together at all.
Posted by: Cheryl | January 14, 2008 1:38 PM
NO hypocrisy for another Bush friend for the President.
Bush supporters.
You want to tell us how free, open and democratic Saudi Arabia is? How it is a "leader" in fostering democracy throughout the Middle East?
Posted by: dogjudge | January 14, 2008 1:41 PM
"GWB.....to make a strategic investment in the future of a region that would not be dominated by extremists."
He just gets funnier and funnier;
The Saudis ARE extremists, but they're our extremists.
And think about this one; a $20 billion weapons package!?
Posted by: C.Morris | January 14, 2008 1:50 PM
"Asked about whether the price of oil has come up with any of the Gulf State leaders whom Bush has met on this trip, the official said: "It has not come up so far in the conversations that I have been party to…It’s a sensitive subject, and I'm sure the president, if he covered it, would cover it in a one-on-one setting."
"Heck of a job, King" Bush will say as he and all his oil buddies continue to roll in the embarrassment of riches that current oil prices have provided them.
Mr. Cheney: Who attended those energy meetings again?
Posted by: Brian | January 14, 2008 2:17 PM
Hey Mark, has W said anything stupid yet?
If not, it's only a matter of time, try not to laugh in front of him ;o)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xq956JmU1LE
Posted by: John E | January 14, 2008 2:22 PM
Darn good photos Mark. I'm sure MJ agrees.
Posted by: Kenny Bunkport | January 14, 2008 2:50 PM
You Loons are such a hoot. We have some Loons who are so anti-Semitic it is sick. We have other Loons that don't like some Arab countries like Saudi Arabia. But it does seem that most Loons love the extreme Islamic fanatics, especially those like the leaders of Iran.
We had Catherine in another post diss freedom and democracy. We have Loons here complain there is not enough freedom and democracy in Saudi Arabia. Yet, you same Loons seem to be OK with no freedom or democracy in Iraq, Iran, Syria.
Course, you are the same loons that read a .7 C increase as a 33.26 F increase. And then another Loon thinks Cuba is completely engulfed in the Caribbean Sea and nowhere near the Gulf of Mexico. And we have Loons praise Obama's $250 tax credit for "working families," yet decry Bush's $300 to $600 tax rebates to EVERYONE and to ALL FAMILIES as "tax cuts for the rich."
In other words, the Loony Left has all the intelligence of snowflake.
Posted by: John D | January 14, 2008 3:33 PM
As a Coast Guard veteran, it's great to see the photo of President Bush followed by just one military officer, a U.S. Coast Guard lieutenant. Semper Fidelis.
Posted by: Jefferson | January 14, 2008 3:35 PM
John D's previous posting proved he didn't 'get' any of the points expressed.
Posted by: C.Morris | January 14, 2008 5:10 PM
Alternate Caption: re. AF-One
(To himself)
'Heh heh, I hope the plane is big enough.'
Posted by: C.Morris | January 14, 2008 5:33 PM
It becomes more absurd every time I read it; We are handing $20 billion worth of top grade military hardware to a country that does NOT back our policy re Iran, and may in the future use said hardware to attack Iraq? (In defense of the Sunni's there.)
GWB should never forget who the 9/11 attackers were, and where they learned their radical Islamic philosophy. It was Saudi Arabia.
Posted by: C.Morris | January 14, 2008 8:57 PM