For a marvel of duplicity, half-truths, and wholesale ignoring of facts and history, go read this pile of bilge from the Saudi ambassador in today's WaPo. But don't let me prejudice you--go read it for yourself.

But for a few choice excerpts:

Israel's policy of violence against 3 million Palestinians -- Christians as well as Muslims -- is seriously jeopardizing the extent to which U.S. policy can succeed in its declared war on international terrorism, which has enjoyed the support of the Islamic world from Pakistan in Central Asia to Morocco on the Atlantic Ocean.

Note the phrase "...Christians as well as Muslims..." Does he really think that this will somehow elicit more sympathy? Anyone who thinks that a single one of the suicide bombers was a Christian, raise your hand.

[peering out over the audience...]

Nope, me neither.

Accordingly, the Israeli government should bear the full responsibility for this change in the position of the Islamic world.

It's not our fault. We've done nothing wrong, and will continue to do nothing wrong--it's all their fault.

And this guy is supposed to be a diplomat?

To quote Dennis Miller, (discussing Marion Barry running for re-election), "this guy's got balls bigger than alpha centauri." Thought you'd appreciate the celestial reference as well.

There was so much dreck in this one editorial, it left me speechless and somewhat unable to coherently respond. I particularly enjoyed, "The Israeli government has rejected the Arab offer of peace and has responded to it with violence, destruction and collective punishment against 3 million Palestinians." No mention of the Passover massacre. The IDF's just running around the West Bank for sport.

I also saw the following as a little, umm, menacing: "Accordingly, the Israeli government should bear the full responsibility for this change in the position of the Islamic world. This is my personal view. I do not arrogantly presume to speak on behalf of the leaders and peoples of the Islamic world. But something tells me that if the near future proves that my feelings reflect those of the leaders and peoples of the Islamic world, then the danger is grave and imminent."

What does that mean, if not more terrorist attacks? And if such attacks occur, it's Israel's fault?

There's only one point where he makes good sense:
"Life is choices, so let us choose, as President Bush said, good over evil." Unfortunately, his country seems to be more comfortable with the latter.

Reading some of this apologia is bad for one's health.

He said: "Israel's policy of violence against 3 million Palestinians -- Christians as well as Muslims--is seriously jeopardizing the extent to which U.S. policy can succeed."

You said: "Note the phrase '...Christians as well as Muslims...' Does he really think that this will somehow elicit more sympathy? Anyone who thinks that a single one of the suicide bombers was a Christian, raise your hand."

Ummmm...Rand, I think you are using faulty logic here. Do you mean to tell me that the IDF has only killed Palestinian people affiliated with suicide bombers? That, occasionally, a round from an M-16 rifle or tank shell or helicopter rocket hasn't strayed from its intended target and killed an innocent person or two?

Just a thought from your "audience."

No, I'm sure that the IDF has killed civilians (possibly even Christians, though that's less likely).

My point is that it's not the Christian Palestinians that are the problem. He's just trying to gain sympathy for the Palestinian cause by implying that it's shared by Christians, and to deflect anger away from the Islamic foundations of much of what is happening in Israel.

"...danger is grave and imminent."

No shit Sherlock. Your kingdom is about to be turned into East Texas.

Desparation is never pretty.

I know your feelings, but I think Bandar here is levelling as much as anyone in his government could. He's very Westernized -- he has a home in Aspen! -- and from the pro-American faction in the royal family.

I'm sure he's being honest, though, when he says "the danger is grave an imminent". This is their diplomatic attempt to signal that things are going too far, that moderates are turning into radicals and radicals into fanatics. We can say that doesn't matter, and it may not, but it doesn't mean he's wrong.

I think that he's right as well. But the danger is grave and imminent for the thugocracies running Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Arab world--not the U.S.

Bandar is the product of both a military education and an elite (Johns Hopkins) graduate program in international relations. As such, he has to have studied various military leaders and campaigns throughout history.

I think it would behoove him to go back and review the parts about William Tecumseh Sherman and Curtis LeMay.

Dennis Miller's rant on the Middle East crisis.

A brief overview of the situation is always valuable, so as a service
to all Americans who still don't get it, I now offer you the story of the
Middle East in just a few paragraphs, which is all you really need. Don't
thank me. I'm a giver. Here we go:

The Palestinians want their own country. There's just one thing about
that: There are no Palestinians. It's a made up word. Israel was called
Palestine for two thousand years. Like "Wiccan," "Palestinian" sounds
ancient but is really a modern invention. Before the Israelis won the land in
war, Gaza was owned by Egypt, and there were no "Palestinians" then, and the
West Bank was owned by Jordan, and there were no "Palestinians" then. As soon
as the Jews took over and started growing oranges as big as basketballs, what
do you know, say hello to the "Palestinians," weeping for their deep bond with
their lost "land" and "nation."

So for the sake of honesty, let's not use the word "Palestinian" any
more to describe these delightful folks, who dance for joy at our deaths until
someone points out they're being taped. Instead, let's call them what they
are: "Other Arabs Who Never Accomplished Anything In Life And Would Rather
Wrap Themselves In The Seductive Melodrama Of Eternal Struggle And Death." I
know that's a bit unwieldy to expect to see on CNN. How about this, then:
"Adjacent Jew-Haters."

Okay, so the Adjacent Jew-Haters want their own country. Oops, just one
more thing. No, they don't. They could've had their own country any time in
the last thirty years, especially two years ago at Camp David. But if you have
your own country, you have to have traffic lights and garbage trucks and
Chambers of Commerce, and, worse, you actually have to figure out some way to
make a living. That's no fun. No they want what all the other Jew-Haters in
the region want: Israel.

They also want a big pile of dead Jews, of course -- that's where the real fun
is -- but mostly they want Israel. Why?

For one thing, trying to destroy Israel-or "The Zionist Entity" as
their textbooks call it-for the last fifty years has allowed the rulers of
Arab countries to divert the attention of their own people away from the fact
that they're the blue-ribbon most illiterate, poorest, and tribally backward
on G-d's Earth, and if you've ever been around G-d's Earth, you know that's
really saying something.

It makes me roll my eyes every time one of our pundits waxes poetic about the
great history and culture of the Muslim Mideast. Unless I'm missing something,
the Arabs haven't given anything to the world since Algebra, and, by the way,
thanks a hell of a lot for that one.

Chew this around and spit it out: Five hundred million Arabs; five
million Jews. Think of all the Arab countries as a football field, and Israel
as a pack of matches sitting in the middle of it. And now these same folks
swear that if Israel gives them half of that pack of matches, everyone will be
pals. Really? Wow, what neat news. Hey, but what about the string of wars to
obliterate the tiny country and the constant din of rabid blood oaths to drive
every Jew into the sea? Oh, that? We were just kidding.

My friend Kevin Rooney made a gorgeous point the other day: Just reverse the
numbers. Imagine five hundred million Jews and five million Arabs. I was
stunned at the simple brilliance of it. Can anyone picture the Jews strapping
belts of razor blades and dynamite to themselves? Of course not. Or
marshalling every fiber and force at their disposal for generations to drive a
tiny Arab state into the sea? Nonsense. Or dancing for joy at the murder of
innocents? Impossible. Or spreading and believing horrible lies about the
Arabs baking their bread with the blood of children? Disgusting.

No, as you know, left to themselves in a world of peace, the worst Jews would
ever do to people is debate them to death.

Mr. Bush, G-d bless him, is walking a tightrope. I understand that with vital
operations coming up against Iraq and others, it's in our interest, as
Americans, to try to stabilize our Arab allies as much as possible, and, after
all, that can't be much harder than stabilizing a roomful of supermodels
who've just had their drugs taken away. However, in any big-picture strategy,
there's always a danger of losing moral weight. We've already lost some.
After September 11 our president told us and the world he was going to root
out all terrorists and the countries that supported them. Beautiful.

Then the Israelis, after months and months of having the equivalent of
an Oklahoma City every week (and then every day) start to do the same thing we
did, and we tell them to show restraint.

If America were being attacked with an Oklahoma City every day, we would
all very shortly be screaming for the administration to just be done with it
and kill everything south of the Mediterranean and east of the Jordan. (Hey,
wait a minute, that's actually not such a bad id . . . uh, that is, what a
horrible thought, yeah, horrible.)"

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