I am making a big assumption here – that President George Bush is capable of feeling any sense of embarrassment.

For the second time in five months, the Saudis have once again kicked President Bush in the groin, with his begging cup falling by the cub.

After his perambulation in Israel and his political speech aimed at getting him press coverage at home (A kind of don’t-forget-that-I-am-still-here cry), President Bush hopped into his Air force One and landed at King Abdullah country. George Bush’s mission was simple – get the Saudis, our so-called friends, the same people we saved from Saddam Hussein, to bring down the price of crude oil.

Poor Bush, he was excited about the mission. After all, he calls the King his friend – one of the world leaders whose hearts Bush claimed to have seen from a distance. Bush got down to the King’s ranch and went on his knees again.

Give it to Bush for his boldness. Despite being rebuffed before, Bush was somehow confident that this time he would make the King to change his mind by whispering into the King’s ear that failure to pump more oil out, we shall leave Iraq. And when we leave, Iran will get in and wipe out the Sunnis.

But once again, the Saudis embarrassed Bush. They told him outright that they are not going to increase production because there are no customers that are making request for oil that the Saudis are not satisfying with their current production level.

Poor Bush. Guess what he did afterwards? He filled the Air Force One tank, bought some extra gas for his Crawford trucks and said, “Oh well, let Obama come and sort this one out.”

It is really sad how the presidency of the United States has been reduced to the world most laughing stock of a leadership position.

On a serious note, who is fleecing Americans? If there are no demands that the market is not satisfying, why is the price of oil still going up? If there are no demands that the market is not satisfying, why won’t Bush stop buying oil for the strategic reserve? Won’t such stoppage release excess crude into the market? Won’t excess crude in the market lead to a decline in price?

Is my basic economics wrong? Are some speculators confusing us with mention of fundamentals? What are the fundamentals?

Where is the international oil market being manipulated? Is the answer in those secret papers that Dick Cheney is hiding from public view?

Poor Bush. What will this man tell the American people when he gets back home? That he perambulated round the Middle East and came back with nothing. No peace. No oil.

God, when will this nightmare end?