Prince Faisal: Tool

Anyone with any familiarity with the Saudi royal family knows that we can thank God repeatedly that Prince Faisal didn't take the Saudi throne.

WASHINGTON - Saudi Arabia's foreign minister says the Bush administration did not heed some Saudi warnings on occupying Iraq and that he doesn't believe a new constitution and elections will solve the emerging nation's problems.

Prince Saud al-Faisal also said his country was still holding out the prospect of a peace treaty with Israel, but could have no diplomatic contact in the meantime, as other Arab and Muslim countries have had. He said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has not acted on opportunities for peacemaking after his withdrawal from Gaza.

"He does something and then immediately goes to the United Nations and makes a speech saying, 'I am not going to do this, I am not going to do that,'" Saud told The Associated Press.

"We are not establishing relations just for the heck of it," he added. "It would be false because we are in a state of conflict."

In a wide-ranging interview Thursday, Saud said he'd like to see oil prices drop about $20 a barrel from their current $60-plus range, but predicted a lack of refineries will keep consumer prices higher even if crude becomes cheaper.

Okay, let's take this piece by piece.

First off, nobody's claiming that an Iraqi constitution and elections will solve Iraq's problems. Iraqis taking control of their country and demanding accountability and justice from their leaders, and enforcing their own border and internal security is what will solve Iraq's problems. Part of that process is a constitution and elections.

Ariel Sharon hasn't acted on peace opportunities? The whole withdrawal from Gaza is part of the peace process, and it's only been finished for about a week. A peace treaty? I'll believe it when I see it; as things stand now, you can't even set foot on Saudi soil if your passport has an Israeli stamp in it. That's not what I call a commitment to peace.

A state of conflict? Gee, I wonder who initiated that one.

Prince Faisal's analysis of the oil situation is a further display of his genius. A lack of refineries will keep prices high? Gee, I would have never guessed that, or said it. Considering that the Saudis are part of the OPEC powerhouse, and have the largest oil resources in the world, I'm going to go out on a limb and say that they can pretty much set whatever price they want. So, basically, his claims are pretty much well-known fact, mixed in with pure Machiavellian nonsense.

Thank God for King Abdullah, because his half-brother is a complete and total tool.