Bump Off!

Why were people so appalled by President Biden and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman exchanging a fist bump?

Did they think, given COVID, an elbow bump might have been better?

President Biden's only mistake in dealing with Saudi Arabia is that he vowed surging the 2020 presidential campaign to make the country a pariah state for the murder of reporter Jamal Khasshoggi in 2018,  As it turns out, ,Saudi Arabia is a country we need to be on good terms with to provide a counterweight against Iran.  We also need it to help stabilize the Middle East by working with, and hopefully, establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.  Biden made it clear that he raised the Khasshoggi issue directly with the crown prince.

Oh yeah, the oil.  Well, maybe Biden wouldn't have had to ask the crown prince to increase oil production t bring down gas prices at gone if we didn't rely on oil so much.  The U.S. has lower gas prices than most countries already, thanks in no small part to subsidies that keep gasoline cheap here, while European countries let gasoline be sold at market value to discourage large motor vehicles and also encourage walkable towns and public transit - two things many Americans happily do without despite the fact that our addiction to oil is causing the very same climate change that is baking France like an overdone croissant while causing British railways to buckle and sparking wildfires all along the Mediterranean seaboard.

How do you like that cheap gas now?

Either we stand up for our values and hold Mohammed bin Salman accountable or Khasshoggi's murder or we can have cheap gas for our  - no, your - Ford F-150s.  It's your choice, America, but I think you've already made it. 😠