33 The Absolute Monarchy By the time George H. Bush

The Absolute Monarchy By the time George H. Bush became president in 1989, Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan had become Bush and Baker’s main link into a world of oil kingdoms. This relationship has evolved in the past two decades into hand-holding and immense wealth. The Prince has spent time with the President’s family at their Texas ranch, their Kennebunkport home, at Camp David and of course, the White House. He has had visits to the Pentagon and has been flown on Air Force One. [1] In turn, there have been reciprocal trips to The Kingdom, a land rich with oil since 1938, oil that transformed one of the poorest of desert kingdoms into an ocean of black gold. All this gold is controlled by the Arab Islamic Monarchy, an absolute monarchy with no constitution other than the Quran. Consequently, Saudi Arabia is a welfare state where an average of $25,000 annually is distributed to each family. [2] So the Bush First Family have claimed Bandar as a legitimate family member. Although the Saudis are an absolute monarchy, open adversaries to democracy, have no constitution, conduct public beheadings, and are blatantly oppressive to women, Bandar has been unofficially adopted into the family of George and Barbara Bush. [3] The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, a land where the King and his family are considered the most perfect and supreme subjects on all the Earth. [4] The King stands above all human laws and has no judge above him either in spiritual or temporal matters. He answers only to Allah, and the Kingdom’s motto is that “There is no God but Allah.” What a great idea! Bandar has held many titles for the Saudi royal family, including ambassador to the United States. He has homes in Aspen, Washington, London and Switzerland. He jets the world in his personal four-engine Air

In 1981 dollars, considering that a commercial Boeing 707 sold for around $25 million, six would be around $150 million. To be fair, the extra-large radar antennas on the top of the fuselages would double the price to $300 million. Let’s not forget the computer system at, let’s say, an even billion, for a total deal of close to $1.3 billion. But with Top Gun in the mix, the deal was announced at $85 billion! The extra $83.5 billion

no doubt going largely to the aircraft brokers. Soon after, the Vice President proclaimed that Bandar was now an official member of the Bush family. His new name in Kennebunkport was announced as Bandar Bush. An extra place would be set at Thanksgiving and Barbara would make an exception to the no-smoking rule as the new Bush fired up Cubans in the living room. The Bushes loved Bandar with all their hearts. It is a love story like no other. That $83.5 billion in 1981 would have been enough to buy 3,340 Boeing 707s – a fleet greater than today’s United, American, Delta and Southwest airlines combined. Saudi Arabia had bought six planes and a new family from Connecticut/Texas. The price wasn’t cheap, but Bandar’s new family would have to hold his hand in public. Then Iran-Contra proved to be another opportunity for Bandar and the Saudi kingdom to swing open more doors. As Reagan made speeches denouncing drugs and arms smuggling, Bush and Ollie’s gang sent arms to terrorists (Freedom Fighters) with illegal

Cuban cigars on the Truman balcony on September 13, 2001, symbolized a political alliance between George W. Bush** and Prince Bandar that began, as Bob Woodward describes it in State of Denial, in 1997 when Governor Bush of Texas began seriously planning his eventual run for the presidency. Bandar’s dear friend, the former president, prevailed upon him to pay his son a visit. According to Woodward, Bush said to the Prince, “My dad told me before I make up my mind, go and talk to Bandar. One, he’s our friend … number two, he knows everyone around the world who counts. And number three, he will give you his view on what he sees happening in the world. Maybe he can set up meetings for you with people around the world.” [1] Bandar schooled the governor in the ways of real-world politics, dismissing any remaining concerns the first-term governor might have about needing to be dishonest: “Never mind if you really want to be honest … If you really want to stick to that, just enjoy this term and go do something fun. In the big boys’ game, it’s cutthroat, it’s bloody and it’s not pleasant.” Then, according to Woodward, “Bandar changed the subject.” Bandar said that while Bush had been flying F-102s in Texas, he too had been in Texas, flying F-102s at Perrin Air Force Base. [2] “Remember,” Bandar said, “what they taught you … Keep your eye on the ball. When I am flying that jet and my life is on the line, and I pick up that enemy aircraft, I don’t care if everything around me dies. I will keep my eye on that aircraft, and I will do whatever it takes. I’ll never take my eye off.” [3] We can only wonder which enemy aircraft Bandar had ever picked up, but anyway, two weeks after 9/11, in an interview with Lowell Bergman of PBS, and speaking of the United States, Bandar was reminded by Bergman that “we’re not a monarchy.” [4] “And maybe you regret it,” Bandar retorted, “that you are not a monarchy. Maybe if you were a monarchy, you would have more common sense to do the right thing, and not get too carried away with quote-unquote ‘freedom.’” [5] There’s little wonder why the Bushes love their Bandar.