more on Saudi terrorists

[Doug Millison]

http://www.nytimes.com/2001/10/04/opinion/04SAFI.html

"[...]But after 7,000 more Americans died at the hands of Saudi radicals,
and the royal family wanted its and bin Laden's relatives yanked home,
Bandar said "Jump" and the U.S. replied, "How high?"

The reason for our sensitivity to Saudi royalty's feelings is that Colin
Powell is again into "coalition-building." Our invitation seems to say,
"Help us catch this particular terrorist gang now and all is forgiven." To
other Arab states, that message is in danger of being refined to "Just give
us names and hideouts so we can kill the terrorists who bombed us, and
we'll pay you for it by leaning on the Israelis to appease the terrorists
who are bombing them.
We are being told that in coalition- building for a war on terror,
intelligence is all. If the Saudis, Pakistanis, Egyptians - even the
Iranians and Libyans - share their secrets about Islamic extremists with
us, we will welcome them into civilized society and send money, too. It
could go further: If Russia helps, we'll forget Chechnya, and if China
helps, we'll go wobbly on Taiwan. Just say yes to "coalesce."
[...]  In the current flurry of secret deal- making, the intelligence
committees of Congress must ask: What is the Bush administration promising
to which countries for what kind of covert help? Are we making deals that
will track down Al Qaeda in Afghanistan but protect terror sites in Lebanon
and Iran and bio-war labs in Iraq? How do we guard against disinformation
from Pakistani spies designed to harm India's agents inside the Taliban,
and vice versa?

Over all, are we buying Phase I's retribution against one terrorist gang
with a promise of no Phase II protective strikes against a terrorist
nation? "

P.S.  If you didn't know already, Safire is no peacenik.  Good to see some
people on the other side of the political fence starting to ask these kinds
of questions.