And right up Saudi ass!
"US studies more aid for Syrian rebels; Obama assures Saudis on goals" by Julie Pace | Associated Press March 29, 2014
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia — The United States is considering allowing shipments of portable air defense systems to Syrian rebels, a US official said Friday, as President Obama sought to reassure Saudi Arabia’s king that the United States is not taking too soft a stance in Syria and other Mideast conflicts.
Related: Globe Soothes Saudi Concerns
The president and King Abdullah met for more than two hours at the aging monarch’s desert oasis outside the capital city of Riyadh. Obama advisers said the two leaders spoke frankly about their differences on key issues, with the president assuring the king that he remains committed to the Gulf region’s security.
Saudi officials have grown particularly concerned about what they see as Obama’s tepid response to the Syrian civil war and have pressed the United States to allow them to play a direct role in sending the rebels the air defense systems commonly known as man pads.
What, sending militants and armaments into Syria, Lebanon, and Iraq hasn't helped?
While administration officials have previously ruled out that option, a senior official said it was being considered, in part because the United States has been able to develop deeper relationships with the Syrian opposition over the past year.
Other options being considered:
The Kerry Chronicles: How Many Palestinian Lives is Pollard Worth?
Tunnel Vision
Must be why I haven't seen anything about it in my Globe.
The official said no final decision had been made and the president might ultimately decide against the proposal.
He better or its treason.
One of Obama’s top concerns continues to be whether the weaponry would fall into the wrong hands, according to the official, who was not authorized to discuss internal deliberations by name and commented only on condition of anonymity.
The official cast the approach as less of a change in position and more an indication of how the United States has viewed the issue for some time.
A second senior official said there had been no change in the US position on manpads, but did not specifically rule out the notion that the option was under consideration.
Manpads are compact missile launchers with the range and explosive power to attack low-flying planes and helicopters. US officials have estimated the Syrian government has thousands.
The decades-long alliance between the United States and Saudi Arabia has been a pillar of security arrangements in the Middle East. But as US troops have pulled out of Iraq and Afghanistan, the kingdom’s royal family has become increasingly anxious about Obama’s positioning in the region.
Time to put the sunglasses on because of that de$ert $un.
Tensions reached a high point last fall after Obama decided against launching a military strike on Syria, choosing instead to back a plan to strip Syrian President Bashar Assad of his chemical weapon stockpiles.
Yeah, right, he decided against.
He had to be pulled back from it by a collective NO from the American people and a John Kerry goof!
US officials say the relationship has improved since then, with both sides making an effort to more closely coordinate their efforts to halt the Syrian conflict.
‘‘We are in a better place today than we were seven months ago,’’ said Ben Rhodes, Obama’s deputy national security adviser.
Then why has Saudi Arabia cut oil deals with Russia and China that avoid the dollar?
Globe must heave got its head stuck in the sand there.
Beyond Syria, one of the king’s biggest concerns has been the US-led nuclear negotiations with Iran. The Saudis fear Iran’s nuclear program, object to Iran’s backing of the Assad government, and see Tehran as having designs on oil fields in Saudi Arabia and Bahrain.
Has Tehran even made any inkling of that? C'mon!
Officials said the nuclear negotiations were a primary topic of Friday’s meeting, with Obama assuring the king that the United States was not glossing over Tehran’s other provocations in order to get a final deal.
The FALSE FLAG is NEAR!
The president arrived in Riyadh on Friday evening, then quickly boarded the presidential helicopter for a 30-minute flight to the king’s desert camp. Obama walked through a row of military guards to an ornate room featuring a massive crystal chandelier and took a seat next to the king, who appeared to be breathing with the assistance of an oxygen tank.
I'm glad Obama added to the greenhouse gas problem getting to the elegant splendor, but the king is sick?
Secretary of State John Kerry and National Security Adviser Susan Rice joined Obama in the meeting, his third official visit with the king in six years.
That makes it official. Obama went to inform the Zaudis what our next move is (as designated by Israel).
While Obama and the king were originally expected to hold a dinner after their meeting, officials said those plans had changed.
I don't care whether they had dinner or not.
I think it is rather telling there was not one word about either Egypt or the Palestinian peace deal.
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Related: Saudi women renew driving push
Hadn't seen that on the Globe road in a while.
NEXT DAY UPDATE:
"Obama lauds work fighting abuse
RIYADH — President Obama ended his trip to Europe and Saudi Arabia on Saturday with a brief ceremony in which he offered an International Women of Courage award to a Saudi woman who works to prevent domestic violence in the kingdom (New York Times)."
And he didn't have time to have dinner with the king?
While in the neighborhood:
Al Qaeda suspected in Yemen attack
Qatar Keeps American Couple In Country
Qatar sentences US couple to 3 years
Well, Qatar and Zaudi are sparring these days, although they do agree on a few things.
As for where they were meeting:
Raytheon gets $655 million Kuwait deal
I wonder who helped them get that deal.
Sticking with the theme of hot wind in the desert:
"President Obama to trim methane emissions | New York Times March 29, 2014
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration Friday announced a strategy to start slashing emissions of methane, a greenhouse gas released by landfills, cattle, and leaks from oil and natural gas production.
The methane strategy is the latest step in a series of White House actions aimed at addressing climate change without legislation from Congress.
In other words, dictating -- and Congre$$ doesn't care.
Individually, most of the steps will not be enough to drastically reduce the US contribution to global warming. But the Obama administration hopes that collectively they will build political support for more substantive domestic actions while signaling to other countries that the United States is serious about tackling global warming....
When spring gets here let me know.
I'm sure the fart-mi$ting illusion and imagery are not helping, either.
Environmental advocates urged the US administration to target methane emissions. Most of the planet-warming greenhouse gas pollution in the nation comes from carbon dioxide, produced by burning coal, oil, and natural gas.
Methane accounts for 9 percent of the nation’s greenhouse gas pollution — but the gas is more than 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide, so even small amounts of it can have a big impact on future global warming.
Then let the oil and gas companies pay the carbon tax.
Wait, they will just pass it on to us so scrap the whole thing.
Now let me catch my breath....
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Only problem is the methane is coming from the fracking, which is the latest solution to our energy woes and a good thing :
"Energy boom ignites population shift" by Jesse J. Holland | Associated Press March 28, 2014
WASHINGTON — America’s energy boom is fueling population growth west of the Mississippi River.
New 2013 census information released Thursday shows that 6 of the 10 fastest-growing metropolitan areas and 8 of the 10 fastest-growing counties in the country are in or near the oil- and gas-rich fields of the Great Plains and Mountain West.
Related: Montana's Oil Boom
More oil and gas drilling is being done in those regions, drawing people from around the nation looking for work, the Census Bureau said.
Neighboring cities Odessa and Midland, Texas, show up as the second and third fastest-growing metro areas in the country. Sara Higgins, the Midland public information officer, has a one-word explanation: oil. ‘‘They’re coming here to work,’’ Higgins said.
Energy production is one of the fastest-growing industries in the United States, the Census Bureau said. The boom follows the use of new technologies, such as hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling, to tap oil and gas reserves.
According to the data, revenue for mining, quarrying, and oil and gas extraction grew 34.2 percent to $555.2 billion from 2007 to 2012. It also was among the fastest growers in employment as the number of workers rose 23.3 percent to 903,641.
It does come with some challenges, said Andrea Goodson, the public information coordinator in Odessa, including the need for quick improvements to city infrastructure and housing to deal with the influx of people.
And a despoiled environment.
While energy exploration is drawing people to the Great Plains and Mountain West, Florida is still one of the top destinations in the country....
Time for me to head for the beach.
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