The Funny Farm

WASHINGTON, July 27 — The Putsch administration is preparing to demand ask Congress to approve an arms sale package for Saudi Arabia and its neighbors that is expected to eventually total $20 billion at a time when the mystical, oft mentioned, but never defined some United States officials contend that the Saudis are arming terrorist factions in the Middle East playing a counterproductive role in Iraq.

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 (cough). 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.

But the mystical, oft mentioned, but never defined administration officials remained concerned that the size of the package and the advanced weaponry it contains, as well as broader concerns about Saudi Arabia's role in Iraq, could prompt Saudi critics in Congress to oppose the package when Congress is formally notified about the deal this upcoming marketing season fall.

In talks about the package, the administration has not sought specific assurances from Saudi Arabia that it would be more supportive of the American effort in Iraq as a condition of receiving the arms package, the the mystical, oft mentioned, but never defined officials said.

The officials said the plan to bolster the militaries of Persian Gulf countries is part of an American strategy to contain the growing power of Iran in the region (BOO!) and to demonstrate that, no matter what happens in Iraq, Washington remains committed to its longtime Arab paymasters allies. Officials from the State Department and the Pentagon agreed to outline the terms of the deal after some details emerged from closed briefings this week on Capitol Hill.

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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.

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The $20 billion price tag on the package is more than double what officials originally estimated when details became public this spring. Even the higher figure is a rough (cough) estimate that could geometrically spiral out of control, especially with Cheneyburton dipping into the till fluctuate depending on the final package, which would be carried out over a number of years, the mystical, oft mentioned, but never defined officials said.

Worried about the impression that the United States was starting an arms race in the region, State and Defense Department officials stressed that the arms deal was being proposed largely in response to improvements in Iran's military capabilities (BOO!) and to counter the threat posed by its nuclear program (BOO!), which the lying, criminally incompetent, lame duck Chimperial administration contends (cough) is aimed at building nuclear weapons.

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