[continued from previous message]   
      
   The President is so wishy-washy about Khashoggi that he makes one wonder who   
   really holds the upper hand in the US-Saudi relationship.  In the great   
   geopolitical game of the Middle East, Trump sided with the Saudis, and to   
   demonstrate his loyalty pulled    
   America out of the treaty that had ended trade sanctions on Iran (Saudi   
   Arabia's rival) in exchange for curbs on its production of nuclear materials.   
   Having made his choice, Trump needs the Saudis to influence others in the   
   region on America's behalf.   
      
   The president's pro-Saudi position was announced soon after he took office   
   when he embarked on his first foreign trip and stopped first in Riyadh, where   
   ministers and members of the royal family had him join a ceremonial sword   
   dance and visit a dark room    
   full of computer operators, where he laid hand upon a glowing decorative orb.   
      
   Although the spectacle of Trump dancing and touching the orb caused some   
   consternation, it revealed his long-standing attachment to members of the   
   family that rules the country with absolute power.   
      
   In the early 1990s, when Trump faced financial difficulty and one of his firms   
   went bankrupt, Saudis helped him by purchasing a giant yacht Trump couldn't   
   afford and part of the Plaza hotel, which he was running into the ground.  In   
   2001, Trump sold an    
   entire floor in a New York building to the kingdom for $12 million.   
      
   In the run-up to the election, Trump created several new corporations to do   
   business in the kingdom.  Since his election, Saudis have spent lavishly at   
   his hotels in Washington and New York City.   
      
   In light of his history with the Saudis and a moral view of the world that has   
   obviously not changed during his time in the Oval Office, Trump was his usual   
   self on "60 Minutes."     
      
   The country is bitterly divided, the planet is ravaged by superstorms that   
   appear to be linked to climate change and an outspoken journalist has   
   disappeared -- and the president isn't prepared to respond.  But as he said,   
   he's not a baby.   
      
      
   https://www.cnn.com/2018/10/15/opinions/trump-60-minutes-master-   
   lass-deception-denial-dantonio/index.html   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)