Deals with the devil go from the absurd to the ridiculous. In a statement to the press, Ari Fleischer, speaking on behalf of the White House, praised Saudi Arabia as a “good partner in the war on terrorism”. This despite the fact that it’s common knowledge that the Saudis support and finance Palestinian terrorism, and anyone without blinders knows that they did in the case of September 11th as well.
They say that war makes for strange bedfellows, and this time is no exception. But as the US tries to line up Arab support for possible war against Iraq, I can’t help but think of Tevye’s line in Fiddler on the Roof: “If I bend that far, I break”. See, the problem with Mideast politics is that the Arab nations have no concept of loyalty or alliances. They’re willing to switch sides at the drop of a hat (or a coin). It takes a panel of experts just to figure out who’s against whom and who’s supporting whom. Whereas Israel has been a stable and consistent ally to the United States, unwavering in its support.
In their zeal to outst Saddam, the Americans are forgetting who their friends are, and are making deals with the devil that will almost certainly come back to haunt them. The vision is as shortsighted as they come, and can only lead to disaster.