That's one of those things where if you were watching 24 and "the terrorists" were going to do that, you'd think -- wow, that's brilliant. But if the idea is mentioned in the context of "real life," you'd think -- wow, we'd be really fucked if that happened.

Speaking of 24, I hope that Jack Bauer is able to stop the terrorists from launching a nuclear bomb. The one thing I've always wondered about that show, though, is whether there's something wrong with an anti-terrorist organization whose entire functioning is based on this one guy who is able to take on armies unaided and who has a cavalier disregard for the rule of law.

When the new season started, there was a lot of talk of how 24 knew more about terrorism than Bush does, but I don't think that Bush can be blamed for not having hired a superhero to single-handedly take on any potential terrorist attack that occurs. And in this example that you've cited, not even Jack Bauer could get to every oil facility in time to stop it single-handedly.

Actually, they can indeed be blamed for not hiring a superhero. I applied for the job at least seven or eight times.

They told me that they'd already hired someone, by the name of "Jeff Gannon," to dress up and protect them.

I thought Gerald Posner was part of the crowd that thought the U.S. should take over the Saudi oil fields....

And if GP can get access to NSA intercepts, why can't Joe Biden and Chris Dodd?

I'm not sure I buy any of this, and I like horrifying doomsday scenarios. Posner is one of the least credible writers I've come across.

Adam,

You state "I don't think that Bush can be blamed for not having hired a superhero." In fact, Bush did hire superheros, but the wrong ones. And that's what I condemn him for.

For instance, I don't think The Black Spider, with his belt full of trained spiders, has done us much good at all—particularly when you consider the $700 mil/year we're paying him.

Matthew,

Me too. I don't know what you heard, but they claimed my resume wasn't formatted correctly. Maybe they were just trying to let me down easy.

eb,

I don't THINK that's true re Posner. But I could be wrong, and would be interested to know if you find out more about it.

Harry,

The fact this was by Posner gave me pause, too. But the truth is I only know him by reputation; I've never read anything he's written.

And in terms of credibility, it's important to distinguish between errors of facts and errors of analysis. Whatever Posner's interpretation of this, I doubt he would just make something up out of whole cloth. Even the Washington Times avoids that, when possible.

Dr. Strangelove: Of course, the whole point of a Doomsday Machine is lost, if you KEEP it a SECRET! Why didn't you tell the world, EH?

Ambassador de Sadesky: It was to be announced at the Party Congress on Monday. As you know, the Premier loves surprises.

This is exactly the sort of Doomsday device that many people would like to activate. Heck, I know a scad of primitivists who (if it didn't involve a huge loss of life) wouldn't think twice about setting this thing off. I am therefore highly skeptical it exists. What the hell is the Kingdom spending trillions of dollars purchasing weaponry for, if they have to implement such a dumbass system in the end anyway? And why are they cultivating such a close relationship with the U.S. despite the fact that it makes everyone hate them? Highly suspect. I don't know anything about Posner, but other people have certainly had no qualms lying to sell books. (Also, what a weird word, "qualm".)

What to expect from a nation that relies on suicide bombing to instill fear in its opponents?

Conor,

Yes, the Premier is a man of the people.

saurabh,

You're looking at this from an exterior, rational perspective. It actually makes sense if you put yourself in the place of the Saudi royal family. Their grip on power has always been dicey; that's why they originally made the deal with FDR during World War II. They then became more frightened after the Iranian revolution, more frightened still after the invasion of Kuwait, and most frightened of all by the rise of bin Ladenism. They want a close relationship with us because we're literally the only people on earth who like them. But they're concerned (and rightfully so, from their perspective) that if they were overthrown we would just deal with whoever took their place. It makes sense they would want insurance to protect them.

Qualm is a weird word, but not as weird as claw, which I lay awake saying to myself over and over last night.

Was confusing Posner with some of the other people found on the Opinion Journal page. He's the "it's all as officially proclaimed" author on the MLK and Kennedy assassinations. The post-Sept. 11 piece linked by Harry captures his tendency to hail our new insect overlords.

All the more reason to give some credence to the Saudi booby-trap possibility, since it flies in the face of c.w. I'm still curious how he gets access to NSA intercepts if they're so all-fired secret.

I could make a circumstantial case for anything if I sifted through all the suff at the National Security Archive and Nexis. That's probably what Posner has done.

Probably meant "reliant on oil," rather than "reliable on oil." Although I guess being more reliable, and on oil, is preferrable to less reliable, and on oil.

C,

HOW DARE YOU PRESUME TO KNOW WHAT I MEANT? Look, just because it didn't "make sense" to your limited perception doesn't mean it's not perfectly comprehensible to those in the know.

However, I've changed it to "reliant" just so you won't be embarrassed.

OT, I just wanted to say that as another large headed person, I commend this blog and Arianna Huffington for affirming large-headedness. We face discrimination in many walks of life -- i.e. we will never be hired as television newscasters since our heads would disconcertingly fill the entire screen.

I spoke to a Special Forces soldier (I think he was a Ranger) in January, 1991, when Desert Shield was starting to brew up into Desert Storm. This was a week before the "use of force resolution" came to a vote in the Senate, but all the same, he said his mates had already been sneaking into Iraq and Kuwait, placing high explosives in the oil wells. I asked why anyone would want to do that except for Saddam. He said he didn't know, just that it was happening.

Point being, if he was accurately repeating a true story, this Saudi situation would seem to be business as usual around that region. I guess everybody feels like the little kid smashing his toy that Dad's about to take away: If I can't have it, nobody can.

P.S.: This posting constitutes one small action on behalf of the ongoing insinuation of rhinocrats into your "revolution."