Armin' Allies: Saudi Arabia

NYT reports that the White House plans a $20 billion military aid deal to the Saudis. What is funny is that the critics are Israel supporters.

The proposed package of advanced weaponry for Saudi Arabia, which includes advanced satellite-guided bombs, upgrades to its fighters and new naval vessels, has made Israel and some of its supporters in Congress nervous. Senior officials who described the package on Friday said they believed that the administration had resolved those concerns, in part by promising Israel $30.4 billion in military aid over the next decade, a significant increase over what Israel has received in the past 10 years.

What are they, angry they didn't get double what the Saudis got?
The critics of the arms deal must be only feigning this "nervousness" when they get this:

In addition to promising an increase in American military aid to Israel, the Pentagon is seeking to ease Israel’s concerns over the proposed weapons sales to Saudi Arabia by asking the Saudis to accept restrictions on the range, size and location of the satellite-guided bombs, including a commitment not to store the weapons at air bases close to Israeli territory, the officials said.

The package and the possible steps to allay Israel’s concerns were described to Congress this week, in an effort by the administration to test the reaction on Capitol Hill before entering into final negotiations on the package with Saudi officials. The Saudis had requested that Congress be told about the planned sale, the officials said, in an effort to avoid the kind of bruising fight on Capitol Hill that occurred in the 1980s over proposed arms sales to the kingdom.

Sorry fellas, these guns are pointed at Tehran, not Jerusalem.
The Bush administration is seeking desparately counterbalance to Iran in the Middle East. And considering that an end in the Bush administration will mean intensified efforts to pull out will pressure greatly whoever comes next. They want to have someone who will fight Iran. Here and here, a little background on Saudi-Iranian relations.

Update: Here's some more analysis from William Arkin. He feels that this is not even Iran's problem. Really just another way to be stuck in the region.