Consumption Junction

I believe I alluded to this story last week, but it seems to be gaining traction:

Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah has warned Vice President Dick Cheney that Saudi Arabia would back the Sunnis if the United States pulls out of Iraq, according to a senior American official.

The official said the king "read the riot act" to the vice president when the two met last month in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

The New York Times first reported the conversation Wednesday, saying Saudi support would include financial backing for minority Sunnis in the event of a civil war between them and Iraq's Shiite majority.

Asked about the meeting, a senior Saudi official -- who spoke on condition he not be named -- ruled out using terminology such as "warning" or "threatening." He said, "I believe the Saudi position was clear, that things might deteriorate or drift in Iraq, and then the kingdom will find itself forced to interfere."

The official also added: "This is not only expected from Saudi Arabia, but also Jordan and a lot of other Arab countries can't stand still and see things going that direction."

Tony Snow, neck-deep in bullshit as always, had only this to say about any of it:

The White House dismissed the report.

"That's not Saudi government policy," press secretary Tony Snow said in Washington, according to The Associated Press.

"The Saudis have made it clear that they're committed to the same goals we are, which is a self-sustaining Iraq that can sustain, govern and defend itself, that will recognize and protect the rights of all, regardless of sect or religion," Snow said, the AP reported.

If anything, that sounds like a confirmation to me. It is entirely believable -- and even sensible, from the Saudis' point of view, that if we leave Iraq, they and other Sunni states will interfere in various ways to protect their sectarian cousins. That is orthogonal to whether or not the Saudis desire a nice stable trading partner next door. Snow is an idiot just for seriously thinking that a slow third-grader couldn't parse his mealy-mouthed non-response.

In completely unrelated news, gasoline prices jumped 10¢ overnight here in California.