Saudi's Free Ride Out

It looks like this story, which was fairly common knowledge immediately after 9-11 but more-or-less forgotten since, will be making the rounds soon in the media. Here are some excerpts from today's NY Times article (free registration required):

September 4, 2003 White House Approved Departure of Saudis After Sept. 11, Ex-Aide Says
By ERIC LICHTBLAU WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 — Top White House officials personally approved the evacuation of dozens of influential Saudis, including relatives of Osama bin Laden, from the United States in the days after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks when most flights were still grounded, a former White House adviser said today.

The adviser, Richard Clarke, who ran the White House crisis team after the attacks but has since left the Bush administration, said he agreed to the extraordinary plan because the Federal Bureau of Investigation assured him that the departing Saudis were not linked to terrorism. The White House feared that the Saudis could face "retribution" for the hijackings if they remained in the United States, Mr. Clarke said. The fact that relatives of Mr. bin Laden and other Saudis had been rushed out of the country became public soon after the Sept. 11 attacks. But questions have lingered about the circumstances of their departure, and Mr. Clarke's statements provided the first acknowledgment that the White House had any direct involvement in the plan and that senior administration officials personally signed off on it.

Mr. Clarke first made his remarks about the plan in an article in Vanity Fair due out Thursday, and he expanded on those remarks today in an interview and in Congressional testimony. The White House said today that it had no comment on Mr. Clarke's statements. The disclosure came just weeks after the classified part of a Congressional report on the Sept. 11 attacks suggested that Saudi Arabia had financial links to the hijackers, and Mr. Clarke's comments are likely to fuel accusations that the United States has gone soft on the Saudis because of diplomatic concerns.

...

The article depicts an elaborate but hurried evacuation carried out within a week of the hijackings in which private planes picked up Saudis from 10 cities. Some aviation and bureau officials said they were upset by the operation because the government had not lifted flight restrictions for the general public, but those officials said they lacked the power to stop the evacuation, the article says. Mr. Clarke, who left the White House in February, said in an interview that he was driven by concern that the Saudis "would be targeted for retribution" by Americans after the hijackings. Mr. Clarke said he told the bureau to hold anyone it had suspicions about, and the F.B.I. said it did not hold anyone. Mr. Schumer said he doubted the thoroughness of a rushed review by the bureau, and in a letter to the White House today he said the Saudis appeared to have gotten "a free pass" despite their possible knowledge about the attacks.

Hmm. Now that we are more familiar with the workings of Bush & Co., let's put 2 and 2 together. Saudi terrorists, led by bin Laden, pull off 9-11. Bush helps Saudis (especially family of bin Laden) out of the country within a few days. Bush blames 9-11 on Iraq. Bush conquers oil-rich Iraq at the behest of very wealthy American companies who stand to profit greatly from reconstruction and oil. What's missing? Oh, yeah. Wealthy American companies, with Bush's support and Saudi assistance, pull off 9-11 as a prelude to buying Iraq. Bingo!

Left is Right is just so darned proud these days of being an American!