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Home Front: Politix
US arms sales to OPEC at risk over oil
2008-04-25
WASHINGTON - A group of U.S. senators on Thursday will call on the Bush administration to use its leverage with OPEC to increase oil supplies or risk Congress holding up multimillion-dollar arms deals with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and other members of the cartel.
Not gonna work, but anything to rattle the Saoodis a little can't be all bad ...
"As Americans are paying more than ever to fill up their cars at the gas station, it is clear that oil production by OPEC members is below the capacity at which they could be producing," the lawmakers said in an advisory announcing a press conference in which they will release a letter to President George W. Bush asking him to pressure OPEC for more oil.

The Bush administration has notified Congress it plans to sell Saudi Arabia bomb-guidance kits worth about $120 million. The administration also wants to sell the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait advanced antimissile systems, as part of a potential $10 billion arms package to Gulf Arab states.

"The Bush administration has refused to be tough with so-called OPEC allies and in fact continues to provide huge arms deals, despite the economic pains taxpayers are feeling," the senators stated in the advisory.

The senators sending the letter were Democrats Charles Schumer of New York, Byron Dorgan of North Dakota, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota and independent Bernie Sanders of Vermont.
Gee, not a 'Pub amongst them.
Posted by:Steve White

#5  I agree with #1 - where are the views of these bas$$$$s regarding exploration/drilling/production at home? How do they vote about adding additional refining capabilities? If I were George Bush, I'd be screaming about locking up our production capabilities while we're all being screwed at the pump, and demanding that Congress open up the Gulf of Mexico, California coast, several places in Alaska, and anything we find on the Atlantic seaboard. I'd make sure the greens were to blame for most of the high costs of gasoline, utilities, food, and anything else, and I'd detail, down to individuals, who is stopping what, and why. I'd be harping about nuclear energy, new refineries, and anything else I could think of that would supplement what we currently have, and ease prices. I'd also be screaming about how Congress is holding up arms sales that keep Americans employed, how they're interfering with trade with Latin America that would actually increase US exports, and generally taking it to the Donks and their failed policies they demand be given a second chance (where they will once more fail). John McCain needs to be on the same bandwidth. The Repuglycons are stupid if they don't.
Posted by: Old Patriot   2008-04-25 14:57  

#4  OK. Jack up the prices on the arms since they're so flush with cash.
Posted by: Geoffro   2008-04-25 12:42  

#3  ..Believe it or not, this might actually rattle their cages, however slightly. The Arab countries want nothing but the BEST for the Princes to fly around with - and they will not buy that Soviet Russian junk, especially as the Russians are almost as trustworthy on arms deals as they are on oil production. On the other hand, they might say, "Give us the damned toys or we cut production further", at which point we'll cheerfully bend over and take it.

Mike
Posted by: Mike Kozlowski   2008-04-25 11:37  

#2  I thought the arms deals generated income for us?
Posted by: Abdominal Snowman   2008-04-25 09:33  

#1  A group of U.S. senators on Thursday will call on the Bush administration to use its leverage with OPEC to increase oil supplies

Anyone check the voting records of those Senators on supporting drilling and exploration in our own territories? We won't even raise the issue of wind farms.
Posted by: Procopius2k   2008-04-25 09:30  

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