Saudis influencing the election?

Bob Woodward -- who seems to be regaining his journalistic muscles -- has, as you must know by now, written a new book chock full of revelations discomforting to Bushfolk. One such revelation, which has received less attention than is deserved, concerns the Saudis. Allegedly, they have agreed to keep a lid on oil prices until the election, in order to favor Bush.

I just spent over $2.20 a gallon to gain a little mobility, and many say the price will top $3.00 a gallon this summer under the best of cricumstances. If this is what prices look like with the Saudis trying to help Bush, I shudder to contemplate the situation when (dare I say "if"?) he achieves re-election. We really must be running out of the black-n-sticky stuff, just as the "peak oil" theorists have claimed.

Consider the economy: Gas goes up, interest rates go up, housing topples, jobs remain stagnant or worse...yeesh. I'm not sure John Kerry should want to preside over such a mess.

At any rate, Joshua Marshalll has been all over this story. He quotes a Larry King three-way (which I'm sorry I missed) with Woodward and Prince Bandar. Woodward backtracked from the claim somewhat: Now the Saudis are keeping prices down for the good of the world economy, not for the good of Bush's election chances.

I wonder.