Woodward lying, foreshadowing Bandar (refineries) (in cahoots)

[robbedvoter]

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4829855/
(Videotape "60 Minutes," April 18, 2004):

MR. MIKE WALLACE (Host):  Woodward told us that Bandar has promised the president that Saudi Arabia will lower oil prices in the months before the election to ensure the US economy is strong on Election Day.

And you also say Bandar wanted Bush to know that the Saudis hoped to fine-tune oil prices to prime the economy in 2004.  What was key, Bandar understood, were the economic conditions before a presidential election.  Oil prices are at an all-time high.

MR. WOODWARD:  They're high and they could go down very quickly.  That's the Saudi pledge.  Certainly over the summer or as we get closer to the election, they could increase production several million barrels a day and the price would drop significantly.

(End videotape)

MR. RUSSERT:  Is that a political deal?

MR. WOODWARD:  No.  I don't think--and interestingly enough, Prince Bandar went public, it turns out, on April 2nd when he went to the White House and had a meeting with the people there--I believe the president--and said, "Our goal is to do this," and then he went out on the driveway in the White House and said, "Our goal is to have oil prices below $30 a barrel."  So in a sense hide in plain sight, if you will.  And what's interesting and I think what distresses people is that they haven't delivered on that.  Oil prices are really high.  There are interesting questions about whether the Saudis can actually do this now because of refining problems in this country.  But they have not delivered on that, and, you know, we will see.  I mean, it will be most interesting if all of a sudden oil prices do go down and gasoline prices at the pump are much less as we get into the fall election campaign.

[PeteC]

1. Charts

Please take a look at the charts.

http://futures.tradingcharts.com/hist_UG.html
http://futures.tradingcharts.com/hist_CO.html

Check out the links. It's pretty clear that the price of gas is tied to the price of crude.

[robbedvoter]

2. It's also clear that Bandar is here to take over our refineries

Bandar:"And like our oil minister said the other day in Dallas, we are willing to invest in refineries in the United States of America and that will be really the best route to go". IBIDEM

Spare me your charts. My point is: Sa wants to take over our refineries. Woodward, who seemed at odds with bandar last week is now advancing his talking points. That "refineries' reference in his answer was absolutely pointless otherwise.
Nice try, though.

[PeteC]

3. My Point

The point I was trying to make is that the gas prices aren't high because of refineries. The prices are high because the price of crude is at an all time high. Blaming it on refineries is a diversion. Kind of like the California energy crisis. In that case they blamed the high energy prices on a lack of electricity production, totally ignoring the spike in natural gas.

[VolcanoJen]

4. Totally.

I just posted this in another thread; watching that snake Bandar cough his way through his filthy lies on Russert was squirm-inducing.

When he spoke of how willing the Saudis are to help us build new refineries (something about Houston?), it occurred to me that this must have been the promise made to the royal family, in exchange for their generous price-and-election fixing.

It's so obvious, really. And Bandar is the least talented liar in this entire "banana republic," to use his oily words.