Was Darth Cheney Summoned By The Saudis?

[Nbadan]

Call boy?

Last weekend, Vice President Cheney traveled to Saudi Arabia in a visit that “was originally portrayed as U.S. outreach to its oil-rich Arab ally.” Cheney made the trip purportedly to discuss a “range of regional issues,” Cheney’s spokeswoman said. The Associated Press reported that Cheney was “seen as a US diplomatic push to stem surging violence in Iraq.”

But today’s Washington Post reports that the push for the meeting came from the Saudis, not the other way around:

Saudi Arabia is so concerned about the damage that the conflict in Iraq is doing across the region that it basically summoned Vice President Cheney for talks over the weekend, according to U.S. officials and foreign diplomats.

What does it say about the nature of U.S.-Saudi relations when the Vice President can be “summoned” by the Saudi Crown Prince?

Think Progress

[Ya Vez]

this is even funnier..

Hastings gets the boot..

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, impeached as a federal judge in 1989 on corruption charges, dropped his bid under pressure on Tuesday to chair a congressional panel designed to help protect America's security, a party aide said.

Hastings took the action after being told by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to head the U.S. House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January, that she would not give him the coveted job, the aide said.

As House speaker, Pelosi decides who in her party serves on the committee that helps oversee federal efforts to protect the United States.

Last week, Hastings made a public plea for the post, arguing that despite being removed by Congress as a federal judge, he did nothing wrong and was cleared by a court of the corruption charges.

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But Pelosi decided against picking Hastings for the chairmanship and told him at a private meeting. She has not yet decided who she will name instead, the aide said.

Hastings, a popular politician in Florida, was elected without opposition on November 7 to an eighth term in Congress.

[ChumpDumper]

Since the first one is merely disturbing, the second is funnier.

[exstatic]

Here, doggy...here, doggy