The Bin Laden Connection

This is interesting.

The despicable speech that Al Gore delivered last Saturday at a Saudi Arabia seminar was bankrolled, in part, by Osama bin Laden's family.

Arab News reported on the upcoming conference.

From February 11, 2005:

The three-day 7th annual Jeddah Economic Forum, which kicks off at the Hilton Hotel today with an inaugural address by Makkah Governor Prince Abdul Majeed, will feature some of the world’s heads of state, international decision makers, economists, speakers, delegates and guests. Nine plenary and four selective sessions will mark the opening day from 9 a.m. to 6.30 p.m.

The formal opening ceremony by Prince Abdul Majeed will include remarks by Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry Chairman Abdullah Al-Muallimi and JEF Chairman Amr Enany, and recognition of dignitaries and sponsors.

The article ends with the a list of the event's sponsors.

The JEF 2006 sponsors include Emaar Properties as lead sponsor; Saudi Arabian Airlines, Saudi Binladin Group, Al-Khayala (NAS), Al Hilal Group, National Commercial Bank and Xenel as diamond sponsors; Gulf One Investment Bank, Enany Group, Saudi Basic Industries Corp. (SABIC), Citigroup, Aal Taher Group, EFG-Hermes, Budget Car Rental and the Prince Sultan Foundation (Medunet) as gold sponsors; and Riyad Bank, Credit Suisse, Saudi Electricity Company, Savola Group, General Motors, Khaled Juffali and Sumitomo Chemical Asia as silver sponsors. Media sponsors include Saudi Research and Publishing Company, Al-Madina newspaper, Sky News and Al Arabiya.

Newsmax writes:

On Saturday, the state-run Saudi news outlet Arab News reported that the Jeddah Economic Forum, where Gore spoke, was funded by "Saudi Arabian Airlines, the Saudi Binladin Group, Gulf One Investment Bank, Saudi Basic Industries Corp." and an array of other big companies with ties to the Middle East.

The Saudi BinLadin Group - which is Saudi Arabia's largest construction company - is run by Osama bin Laden's brothers and cousins. Jeddah, the site of the forum attended by Gore, is Osama bin Laden's hometown.

Although family members claim they've disowned bin Laden, his mother told reporters after the 9/11 attacks that she received advanced warning from him that something big was about to happen.

A wealthy bin Laden niece also reportedly abandoned her lower Manhattan apartment three weeks before the 9/11 attacks.

The BinLadin Group's longtime involvement in the Jeddah forum has been widely reported in the Mideast and European press.

In January 2002, ex-President Clinton addressed the JEF, which paid him $267,000 for his speech. According to London's Financial Times:

"The conference was dominated by the Saudis' desire to overcome the pressures of September 11 and strengthen U.S.-Saudi ties . . . The BinLadin Group, one of the forum's backers, has been battered by its association with Osama."

Other JEF speakers that year included President Bush's younger brother, Neil.

It's not known whether - or how much - Mr. Gore was paid for his speech.

I think that the lib media should demand to know more details, perhaps getting a timeline.

What did Gore know and when did he know it?

Did Gore's office alert the American press that he appeared at an event sponsored by bin Laden's family?

Why not?

Why did it take 48 hours for this information to come out?

What is he trying to hide?

Not only did Gore mercilously bash the United States in front of a mainly Saudi audience at the forum, the event was funded by the relatives of America's archenemy Osama bin Laden, and held in this terrorist's hometown.

Will Lefties go crazy over this? Of course not.

Will Michael Moore make a film about it? No.

Will the righteous David Gregory have a meltdown? Won't happen. There's nothing solid there to melt.

Are the libs as hypocritical as they are clueless? Yes.