The House of Saud Twists Washington's Arm

The Saudis are pushing Washington pretty hard these days.

First came the warning that, if the US pulls out of Iraq, the Saudis might fund the Iraqi Sunnis in a war against the Iraq's Shia. The message to the Bush administration seems to be clear, "rethink this all you like, just don't get any ideas about leaving."

On the weekend there was a report that Arab gulf nations are looking at getting into the "civilian" nuclear energy business. The message this time seemed to be "deal with Iran or we're all going to get nukes."

Then there was a report accusing the Saudis, along with American ally Egypt, of joining the usual suspects of bad actors in aiding the Islamic rebels in Somalia. The message this time? Who knows but you can bet there is one and it's aimed at Washington.

Plainly, the Saudis have issues with Washington. George Bush has unleashed a wave of Islamic fundamentalism in the Middle East that, if unchecked, threatens the grip on power of America's ruling elite allies. The little lark in Iraq has greatly empowered the rival Shia/Persian camp in southern Iraq as well as Iran. If the US leaves it adds a huge power vacuum atop the several other power vacuums its actions have already created.

I think the House of Saud is sending a plain message to Bush: "You broke it, don't even think about leaving until you fix it and "it" means, above all else, Iran." A tough spot for a guy who once thought he was going to call all the shots.