<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN"> <HTML><HEAD> <META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1"> <META content="MSHTML 5.50.4134.600" name=GENERATOR></HEAD> <BODY> <DIV>A slight rephrased re-post of my reply to a private mail on the same subject:</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>The only way to get rid of the politically uncomfortable protection that US forces in Saudi represent for the Saud clan is to remove the threat. I was as surprised as you when I chanced on Saudi declarations fingering Saddam as the main culprit behind 9-11, but it makes sense. OK, they want to get ObL and his Saudi connections off the hook too but Saddam is their enduring problem. Whacking Saddam will create some domestic backlash, but he is out to get Saudi after all so there's the justification of preemptive self-defense. The Saudis don't give a hoot about Arafat. </DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV>BTW you want to hear something stranger (and scary): According to Israeli media, Israel has offered a nuclear umbrella to Oman & Qatar. The rumor is that this is the first step towards abandoning the position of "deliberate ambiguity" and the "Samson option" (i.e. last resort use) in Israel's nuclear policy. Of course, all this will require a lot of massaging of U.S. public opinion, so expect more trouble fron "evil Arabs".</DIV> <DIV> </DIV> <DIV align=left>Hakki Alacakaptan -----Original Message----- From: owner-lbo-talk@lists.panix.com [mailto:owner-lbo-talk@lists.panix.com]On Behalf Of Brad Mayer Subject: RE: Anthrax Probe Shifts To Homegrown Hate Groups </DIV> <BLOCKQUOTE dir=ltr style="MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">Why would the Saudis want to put another nail in their historical coffin by by pushing the US into wacking Iraq, especially at this time?  More likely their pull (if they really have that much) may have something to do with the sudden announcement of Israeli withdrawal from their West Bank incursion.  After all that  talk of the "post-Arafat" era, now they're asking for the PA to "assist" in the withdrawal!  Now what the **** is going on? -Brad Mayer At 06:52 PM 10/25/01 -0400, you wrote: <BLOCKQUOTE cite type="cite">I'm sure it's true but of course that has little to do with whether or not it gets published. Only Wolfovitz and ex-CIA director Woolsey are pushing the get-Saddam line. The Saudis may be lobbying (bribing) them. Cheney,Rumsfeld,Powell, and even W are against it, recognizing that it would instanty shatter the coalition (however tantalizing the Saudi bribes may be). The anthrax caper could even be the work of one of Woolsey's pals. Hakki Alacakaptan </BLOCKQUOTE></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>