Two days after the towers fell, events were still unfolding with tremendous impact, but now they were behind scenes and off-camera. We would only learn about them later, from the most impolite of sources. For now, the shock and horror were still fresh as Saudi Prince Bandar had dinner at the White House on the night of September 13th.
President Bush had a request to make. “We need to take out Saddam,” he said, transposing need for want. “The region has to change. We can’t let the region fester anymore. It’s time to take out a regime that opposes us, that supports terrorism, and replace it with a democracy.”
Bandar, known affectionately to the president’s family as ‘Bandar Bush,’ was prepared for this. He had been talking to Crown Prince Abdullah for two days, and they had almost certainly discussed this possibility. For them, the crisis was a huge opportunity; whatever America needed from them, they could ask favors in return.
More importantly, by agreeing to help they would avoid being the regime that had to change.
“You would, of course, need Saudi support,” Bandar said. “You would need to operate many troops and weapons from our sovereign territory.”
Bush nodded. “We could do it without Saudi Arabia,” he said, “though we don’t want to.” Truthfully, an invasion would be nigh impossible without Saudi cooperation, but why admit a weak position and miss a chance to butter up his allies?
Bandar appeared thoughtful. “We could never be seen assisting the United States in the invasion and occupation of another Arab state,” he said. “Any support, any use of our land, would have to be done in complete secrecy.”
Bush, with his businessman’s natural inclination towards secrecy, agreed. No reporter would ever be allowed to cover troops in Saudi Arabia; embedded reporters would only travel with ground units out of Kuwait, a nation much more eager and willing to help America openly. Thus it was that more than a year before the invasion, 50,000 troops would be positioned in the Arabian Peninsula without a single word from the mainstream media – and the public debate would be foreshortened.
“There is one thing which I would ask in return,” Bandar said. He waited for Bush to react, then began.
“My country is filled with poverty. We live on top of so much wealth, but the people do not share in it. Yes, I know,” he admitted, waving his hand dismissively to let his expensive wristwatch peek out of the sleeve. “I am part of the problem, I and my three thousand cousins. We use a great deal of this oil wealth to visit the west, to buy expensive trinkets, and reward our friends. The resentment bubbling on the Saudi street is about us, not you. And for decades now,” he said, leaning forward to meet Bush’s eye, “we have paid the fanatics to aim the anger at you instead. You,” he said, sitting back. He let this admission sink in, and did not speak until Bush made to speak. “It’s alright, George,” he said. “We can’t hide from the truth. Not here. Not now.”
And then Bandar, ever the sales closer, looked away. “We need the price of oil to rise, George. We need more revenue so that more of it will get to the poorest Saudis, and they can think about education and opportunity instead of who to blame for not having them.”
The deal was struck with a handshake. Bush got the war he wanted. The Saudis got $140 a barrel.
Pertinent video is about 2:10 into this:
