The Saudis say (Bandar) the US could have prevented 9-11

For the second time in a week, the Saudis are saying that the terror attacks could have been prevented, this time through the "unofficial channel" of Bandar.

Saudi Arabia could have helped the United States prevent al Qaeda's 2001 attacks on New York and Washington if American officials had consulted Saudi authorities in a "credible" way, the kingdom's former ambassador said in a documentary aired Thursday....

Speaking to the Arabic satellite network Al-Arabiya on Thursday, Bandar -- now Abdullah's national security adviser -- said Saudi intelligence was "actively following" most of the September 11, 2001, plotters "with precision."

"If U.S. security authorities had engaged their Saudi counterparts in a serious and credible manner, in my opinion, we would have avoided what happened," he said.

My guess is the Saudis are pulling this to reduce the US pressure on them to crack down on the Al Qaeda money (and supporters) flowing through their country, but still......

"Bandar Bush" just came out and said 9-11 was preventable if only the Bush administration had been more listened. Seems like headline news to me.

(PS. There seems to be some growing evidence that the Saudi King is mightily unhappy with the Bush administration over Iraq, Iran, and the now obliterated Mid East peace conference.... We'll see, but I'm sensing a change in tone.)