Bringing Home The Bacon

And you thought Middle East peace was the objective. AP (01.14.08):

"President Bush, on his first visit to this oil-rich kingdom, delivered a major arms sale Monday to a major ally in a region where the U.S. casts neighboring Iran as a menace to stability.

Bush's talks with Saudi King Abdullah also were expected to cover peace between Israelis and Palestinians and democracy in the Middle East."

Bush Delivers Arms Sale to Saudi Arabia

"The administration was notifying Congress of its intent to sell $20 billion in weapons, including precision-guided bombs, to the Saudis. It is 'a pretty big package, lots of pieces,' national security adviser Stephen Hadley told reporters on Air Force One."

"As for the topic of rising oil prices, Hadley would only say 'we'll have to see' when asked whether Bush would raise the issue with the king. The Saudis are responsible for almost one-third of OPEC's total output."