Close to 200 lawmakers have written to Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asking questions about the pending $60 billion sale of F-15 jet fighters and other weapons to Saudi Arabia. They want to know the “rationale for a sale of such magnitude” and what might happen to the arms “in the event of political change in Saudi Arabia.”
A Saudi F-15 / DoD photo
While Israel has quietly complained about the package, it hasn’t objected because of promises made that Washington will ensure Israel keeps its “QMI” — qualitative military edge, in diplo-speak — no matter what we sell to the kingdom. Arming both sides helps clarify what a big chunk of the Saudi deal is about, even if the letter is mute on the point: U.S. jobs.