In a disappointing 71-27 vote today, the Senate voted to kill a bill that would’ve blocked the US from carrying out $1.15 billion in tank sales to Saudi Arabia. The bill had bipartisan authorship, but was overwhelmingly opposed by the leadership.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D – CT), one of the authors, said he never expected to pass the resolution anyhow, but hoped to press Saudi Arabia on its large civilian death toll in Yemen, saying that the Saudis clearly don’t want to see debate on the US-Saudi alliance on the floor of Congress.
Nor, it seems, did most of the leadership, with Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R – KY) saying the bill would mean the US retreating from its role as “guarantor of the international order,” and other hawks insisting that the Saudi alliance is far too important to allow the Yemen war crimes to interfere.
The tank sale was a comparatively tiny portion of over $100 billion in arms sales to Saudi Arabia throughout Obama’s presidency, but blocking it would’ve been seen as a significant sign that the Congress is growing uncomfortable with backing the Saudis on Yemen.
It is unclear how much Saudi Arabia lobbied on this bill, as it was not expected to pass either way, and substantial effort is currently ongoing to try to uphold an Obama veto of the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which would allow 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its role in the lead-up to the attack. Both the Senate and House passed JASTA unanimously, but there is expected to be considerable numbers switching sides on the veto override vote.
“… Saudi alliance is far too important to allow the Yemen war crimes to interfere.”
And that, my friends, is the crux of the biscuit. This is how low the “shining light on the hill” has fallen – where money has usurped ethics and left behind base moral turpitude. The actions of our leaders have tainted the entire population with their depravity.
Americans used to be respected and welcomed as international travelers. It’s become harder and harder now to travel outside the US – even to countries of our forefathers – and not have to answer to questions from friends and relatives about WTF our country is doing. I wonder why it is so difficult for Americans here to see what the non-Americans see. Perhaps it’s because their media has not succumbed to being dependent upon “access.”
How come Israel is not up in arms about this? Not a word? Ain’t that very interesting?
Meanwhile Congress just passed a bill allowing 9/11 victim family members to sue SA for Saudi involvement in 9/11 which is expected to be vetoed by Obama because 1) SA is threating to sell all their treasury bonds and crash the treasury market, and 2) stripping away sovereign immunity from SA will set a nasty precedent that strips away sovereign immunity from the United States, and considering all US war crimes is no small matter. Selling White Phosperous to SA who then uses it in Yemen makes us complicit in war crimes, and that is but one of a zillion examples.
The 28 pages revealed that SA foreign secretary Prince ‘Bandar Bush’ Bandar funded the Saudi individuals that provided all sorts of support for some of the ‘hijackers’. Previously we were aware of this support as having only gone through Bandar’s wife. Prince Bandar was widely known to be a close long time friend of the Bush crime syndicate. His affectionate nickname was known to be ‘Bandar Bush’.
GWBush in turn then classified all information linking his good buddy indirectly to the hijackers. Think about that for a moment? At that very time the Bush Administration was misdirecting accusations of 9/11 involvment toward Iraq leading up the the Iraq War. Remember al the false stories about Mohammed Atta meeting Iraqi intelligence in Prague??
And now we are selling weapons to SA? And Israel especially is completely silent about all this?? The American people are being played for suckers.
Stripping away immunity from SA will not strip away immunity from the US or Israel. The 28 pages did not reveal any conspiracy or conspirator, they were put in there just to bludgeon SA into submission. JASTA was passed by the senate to help greedy lawyers make some money. This bill is to help MIC make some money. Iraq and Afghan war were done for the same purpose. We do see a very consistent policy here — anything to make money.