Congress likely to OK Saudi arms deal

[alkemical]

Congress likely to OK Saudi arms deal

By MATTHEW LEE and ANNE FLAHERTY, Associated Press Writers
Mon Jan 14, 6:38 PM ET



The Democratic-led Congress is unlikely to block U.S. plans to sell $123 million worth of sophisticated precision-guided bomb technology to Saudi Arabia, despite concerns from some members that the systems could be used against Israel.

The Bush administration on Monday notified Congress of its intent to sell the bomb-delivery systems as part of a multibillion-dollar arms package to bolster the defense of U.S. allies in the Gulf.

Rep. Tom Lantos, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, does not intend to consider a resolution of disapproval, said spokeswoman Lynne Weil. Otherwise, Lantos declined to comment.

The arms deal creates a dilemma for lawmakers, especially for Democrats eager to challenge President Bush's handling of foreign policy. At the same time, they see Saudi Arabia's cooperation as crucial to the war on terror and in deterring aggression from Iran.

"We need to be convinced that the sale makes sense militarily and ensure that it in no way harms our security or those of our allies," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. "We must also make certain that the administration does not just try to use a few arms sales to substitute for the comprehensive, coherent strategy we need for the region."

Timed to coincide with Bush's trip to Saudi Arabia, the notification opens a 30-day window during which lawmakers can object to the sale, which envisions the transfer of 900 Joint Direct Attack Munitions, or JDAMs, to the Saudis, the State Department said.

The proposed deal follows notification on five other packages to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait, and brings to $11.5 billion the amount of advanced U.S. weaponry, including Patriot missiles, provided to friendly Arab nations under the Gulf Security Dialogue, spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Administration officials say the total amount of sales as part of the dialogue is estimated at $20 billion, but they also have cautioned that the figure is subject to what equipment the receiving countries actually purchase.

The sale is a key element in the U.S. strategy to bolster the defenses of its Arab allies in Saudi Arabia and other oil-producing majority Sunni Muslim Gulf nations against threats from Shiite Iran.

A principal aim of Bush's Mideast visit is to convince the Saudi leadership as well as those in Kuwait, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates that he remains committed to preventing Iran from destabilizing the region, despite U.S. intelligence findings that Tehran halted its nuclear weapons development in 2003.

Congress has already been briefed on the entire Gulf Security Dialogue arms package, which includes the sale of the Navy's Littoral Combat system as well as the JDAMs kits. During these meetings, the administration assured lawmakers that there would be proper restrictions on the JDAMs sale to ensure that the weapon would not pose a threat to Israel.

"We've spent a lot of time ensuring that we abide by our commitments to a qualitative military edge for Israel," McCormack said. "We are committed to maintaining that qualitative military edge for Israel."

Members who still oppose it say they are concerned it would give Saudi Arabia a technical edge that could be used to attack Israel.

Democratic Reps. Anthony Weiner of New York and Robert Wexler of Florida said they will push for a resolution condemning the sale. Their resolution already has some three dozen co-sponsors.

"It's mind-bogglingly bad policy because the Saudis at every turn have been uncooperative" regarding U.S. interests in the Middle East, Weiner said in a statement on Monday.

At least one Republican, who previously registered his concerns with the deal, said he wasn't ready to support the deal just yet.

"The administration must guarantee to Congress' satisfaction that selling JDAMs to Saudi Arabia will not harm U.S. forces or our democratic ally Israel," said Rep. Mark Kirk, R-Ill. "At this time, I do not have enough information to support the sale."

Still, senior congressional aides said it was considered unlikely that the required two-thirds majority in Congress could be found to stop the sale.

Mark Regev, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, said the Israeli government would not comment on the arms deal.

Previously, Israel has indicated it does not oppose the deal and Washington plans to counterbalance the sales to Arab nations with $30 billion in military assistance to the Jewish state — a more than 25 percent increase over the next 10 years.

Notifications to Congress of specific transactions are made in "piecemeal" fashion, McCormack said. He added that the 30-day deadline for lawmakers to raise opposition to the previous five sales had passed.

The five earlier agreements included two sales to the United Arab Emirates for a Patriot missile system and support for an airborne early warning system; one to Kuwait for Patriot missile system upgrades and two to Saudi Arabia for "targeting pods" and upgrades to AWACs airborne warning and control aircraft.

[Rigs11]

Anyone have any idea of where the highjackers of 911 were from? Anyone?

[W*GS]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

Anyone have any idea of where the highjackers of 911 were from? Anyone?

Iraq - they were Saddam Hussein's agents. Right?

[cutthemdown]

Unless you believe the Saudi Royal family is secretly an enemy of the USA then this is a good deal. Iran is Shia and Saudi is Sunni so to me it makes since to balance at the region and prop up a country whose leadership is friendly to the USA. I agree many in the Kingdom are not our friends and we want to make the Royal Family and Saudi military strong to keep stability.

Plus its good for the companies that make those weapons. True things like this can backfire but I really don't have a problem with this sale. The highjackers may have been Saudi's but I don't think the Royal Family sent them.

[Rohirrim]

Half the Saudi Royal family ARE our enemies. The fathers smile and shake our hands and kiss Bush's cheeks while their sons fund Al Queda.

[TailgateNut]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

Anyone have any idea of where the highjackers of 911 were from? Anyone?

Not that it would matter to the idiots who broker these deals.

Good grief, we are one STUPID ASS NATION!

[Rigs11]

Originally Posted by TailgateNut

Not that it would matter to the idiots who broker these deals.

Good grief, we are one STUPID ASS NATION!

All part of the master plan. In 5 years we will invade that country in the name of democracy and the defeat of tyranny.

[alkemical]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

All part of the master plan. In 5 years we will invade that country in the name of democracy and the defeat of tyranny.

ding ding ding - and the war machine rolls on

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Unless you believe the Saudi Royal family is secretly an enemy of the USA then this is a good deal. Iran is Shia and Saudi is Sunni so to me it makes since to balance at the region and prop up a country whose leadership is friendly to the USA. I agree many in the Kingdom are not our friends and we want to make the Royal Family and Saudi military strong to keep stability.

Plus its good for the companies that make those weapons. True things like this can backfire but I really don't have a problem with this sale. The highjackers may have been Saudi's but I don't think the Royal Family sent them.

You want to explain to me how it makes any sense in the world to back Israel and pour billions into their military and infrastructure, then turn around and arm up their sworn enemies?

[Rohirrim]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

All part of the master plan. In 5 years we will invade that country in the name of democracy and the defeat of tyranny.

Maybe this time we can keep better track of the WMDs we sell them?

[alkemical]

keep the Bill of Sale

[sisterhellfyre]

Originally Posted by BroncoInferno

You want to explain to me how it makes any sense in the world to back Israel and pour billions into their military and infrastructure, then turn around and arm up their sworn enemies?

Same game that the international banking cartels and major corporations have been playing since World War 1: sell to both sides, and make a profit on all of it, no matter who wins. Or loses. It doesn't much matter to them.

Regards,
m.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by Rigs11

All part of the master plan. In 5 years we will invade that country in the name of democracy and the defeat of tyranny.

The talking heads on Faux News will be bleating "Saudi Arabia has WMD," and anyone who mentions where the weapons came from will be accused of hating America.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by sisterhellfyre

Same game that the international banking cartels and major corporations have been playing since World War 1: sell to both sides, and make a profit on all of it, no matter who wins. Or loses. It doesn't much matter to them.

Regards,
m.

Bingo.

This is exactly how the Bush family fortune was made: Financing the Nazi war machine during WWII.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by BroncoInferno

You want to explain to me how it makes any sense in the world to back Israel and pour billions into their military and infrastructure, then turn around and arm up their sworn enemies?

If the Saudis think they need more weapons to counter Shia Iran and they are cooperating with the USA for the most part. They seem to be the voice of reason when it comes to OPEC. We also sell weapons to Egypt. If you add up we give as much to arab countries as we do to Israel long before this deal. The arms dealing biz is a dirty biz and has always been a way to gain influence. Russia sells to Syria and we sell to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. I'm sure we figure if we don't sell to the Saudis it would just open them up to deal with China or Russia or N Korea. In the process our contractors lose out, you lose influence on a key player in the gulf region.

If you are still against selling weapons then that's fine. But to say you don't understand the issues of why it's down seems naive. It's easy to see why we do it.

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

[BroncoInferno]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

If the Saudis think they need more weapons to counter Shia Iran and they are cooperating with the USA for the most part. They seem to be the voice of reason when it comes to OPEC. We also sell weapons to Egypt. If you add up we give as much to arab countries as we do to Israel long before this deal. The arms dealing biz is a dirty biz and has always been a way to gain influence. Russia sells to Syria and we sell to Saudi Arabia and Egypt. I'm sure we figure if we don't sell to the Saudis it would just open them up to deal with China or Russia or N Korea. In the process our contractors lose out, you lose influence on a key player in the gulf region.

If you are still against selling weapons then that's fine. But to say you don't understand the issues of why it's down seems naive. It's easy to see why we do it.

That is the short term vision, but what about down the road? We armed/trained Osama and co. to fight against the Commies, look where that got us in the long run. You don't think arming Israel's enemies could be a detriment to them in the long haul? Talk about naive.

[orinjkrush]

19 saudis bring down the towers and smash the pentagon and we sell them arms. go figure. with friends like them and the Paki's who needs enemies.

[Crushaholic]

The ungrateful leeches in Saudi Arabia don't deserve this arms sale. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Saddam Hussein was knocking on their door and they continued to enslave America with their oil even after we beat Hussein back.

[spdirty]

Originally Posted by L.A. BRONCOS FAN

where the hell are your heroes in Congress in that pic? I'm sure they feel left out.

[cutthemdown]

Originally Posted by BroncoInferno

That is the short term vision, but what about down the road? We armed/trained Osama and co. to fight against the Commies, look where that got us in the long run. You don't think arming Israel's enemies could be a detriment to them in the long haul? Talk about naive.

Why am I naive? I'm not the one saying I don't understand. Why is it short term vision? We want to be friends with the Saudis for the long term. Another thing is that you can't compare Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia because Afghanistan was never a stable modern country. I understand all the implications on why a deal like this could end up a mistake so I am not naive, but Iran is the bigger enemy and needs to be countered. Besides not one weapon sold to Afghanistan was ever used on America. They all carry around ak-47's not m-16's buddy. There was more Russian military hardware left behind by the puppet regime then anything else. Besides we never sell our very best technology so it's not much of a threat to us. This deal does not put American soldiers in harms way.

[Bronco_Beerslug]

Originally Posted by cutthemdown

Why am I naive? I'm not the one saying I don't understand. Why is it short term vision? We want to be friends with the Saudis for the long term. Another thing is that you can't compare Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia because Afghanistan was never a stable modern country. I understand all the implications on why a deal like this could end up a mistake so I am not naive, but Iran is the bigger enemy and needs to be countered. Besides not one weapon sold to Afghanistan was ever used on America. They all carry around ak-47's not m-16's buddy. There was more Russian military hardware left behind by the puppet regime then anything else. Besides we never sell our very best technology so it's not much of a threat to us. This deal does not put American soldiers in harms way.

Uh, we arm many people with AK-47s including those in Afghanistan.

[alkemical]

lol, i doubt our weapons have "made in USA" on 'em (kidding, i don't know for real)

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by spdirty

where the hell are your heroes in Congress in that pic?

Hint:

Not here...



There's a reason there's a Saudi royal named "Bandar Bush" and not "Bandar Pelosi" or "Bandar Waxman."

[L.A. BRONCOS FAN]

Originally Posted by Crushaholic

The ungrateful leeches in Saudi Arabia don't deserve this arms sale. I don't trust them as far as I can throw them. Saddam Hussein was knocking on their door and they continued to enslave America with their oil even after we beat Hussein back.

Um, the Saudis didn't "enslave" us with their oil all by themselves.

We approached them with designs on their oil - not the other way around.