European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 25, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Saturday april 25, 1992 the stars and stripes Page 13 commentary William Safir saudi Prince calling the tune in Washington a ambassador Bandar bin Sultan May Only be a Prince in saudi Arabia but he has become the King of Washington do. In the �?T80s, he told Bill Casey of the Reagan Bush administration that the kingdom wanted . Arms and credit to flow to iraqi president Saddam Hussein in his War with non Arab Iran. The  delivered. As the �?T90s began the articulate former Jet Pilot passed the word that the kingdom was threatened by Saddam a invasion of Kuwait and would allow us to defend saudi Arabia. Within Days president Bush made a commitment to Send a huge expeditionary Force abroad. After Saddam a defeat Prince Bandar cautioned his Oval office conduit Brent scowcroft not to finish off the iraqi regime lest Iran gain Sway in the Gulf. Our geopolitical babe in the Woods dutifully advised Bush to let the kurdish shiite uprising be crushed. When Saddam was Able to retain Power and rebuild his potential for mass destruction the saudi ambassador shifted his position and told Bush his kingdom wanted a world crackdown on Baghdad. His Friend in the White House promptly threatened an air attack and the iraqis temporarily backed Down. When Prince Bandar says a jump a George Bush asks a How High a in this fourth year of the Banda Bush administration a a High equals 72 of americans most sought after attack aircraft the f-15e. Bush wants to Spring aloft but Over half the House of representatives has denounced this a significant escalation of the regional arms  that resistance presents a Small problem Back in the �?T80s, when Reagan Bush Geo politicians were eager to sell airborne warning and control system planes to saudi Arabia Congress a roved the Sale Only on condition that the audis agree not to sell or otherwise Transfer our technology to other nations. But unbeknownst to Congress for the past decade the saudis a often with the guilty knowledge of the White House and state department a have been systematically breaking this agreement. In an Eye opening documented article in the los Angeles times reporters Murray Waas and Douglas Frantz detailed How the saudis in 1986 had transferred what a secret state Cable identified As . Origin mk-84 bombs to  apparently Prince Bandar admitted the illegal Transfer but was Able to persuade the Reagan White House to break our Laws by concealing it from Congress. The honest Cable writer noted that state was a required by the arms Export control act to report promptly a repeat promptly a to Congress a but no report on the 2,000-Pound blockbusters was made. Bush As president continued the illegal saudi conduit. Asked about this he replies a no.  but after the Gulf War ended the saudis secretly transferred .-made armoured vehicles and trucks to Syria and Bangladesh. Great Teeth gnashing occurred at the Cia in january when a naive Bangladesh official sought spare parts for . Armoured personnel carriers directly from the ., instead of dealing secretly through a saudi Cut out. Imagine Prince Bandars dilemma As this year began. In the past 20 months the . Had sold his kingdom $15 billion of its most powerful weaponry. Finally the qualitative Edge in the Region could be gained by the Purchase of the first Squadron of attack f-15s. But All was in jeopardy because news of the illegal transfers was about to become Public. Now we know Why last month a sudden Brouhaha was raised accusing Israel of being the great culprit in arms transfers. Psychologists Call it a transference a and the preemptive publicity strike almost worked. A Cia defense source sold the Washington times a phony about Israel reselling Patriot missiles. The Wall Street journals Washington Bureau swallowed the anti Israel spin on a state department report that covered up the Banda Bush conspiracy. The Washington Post was embarrassed by running a syndicated concoction that the authors a under withering oped attack from an accurate journalist a were forced to recant. The Campaign to Muddy the arms Transfer Waters was generated by defense contractors eager to sell arms to the saudis Cia and defense sources taking a saudi tilt and a state department slavishly following the Banda Bush line. Thus were americans nearly Bamboo led by a country whose King has just told his subjects that a democracy would be  c the now York Tsinos Marilyn Geewax first in Lifeboat also meant last on pay scale should a Man surrender his seat on a Lifeboat to a woman the recent 80th anniversary of the sinking of the titanic prompted a Pennsylvania newspaper to poll readers on that question. Just a bit More than a third of male respondents said they would stand Back to allow women to fill the lifeboats first. Certainly the kind of chivalry displayed by men on the titanic is vanishing rapidly today. Fabulously wealthy men such As John Jacob Astor stoically stood on the Tilting deck watching As poor immigrant women clambered into lifeboats. Maj. Archibald butt said he would a shoot the first Man who made for the lifeboats before those women and children. He did no to need to worry about How Many bullets he had because the great majority of men accepted their Fate with fortitude. A few failed to Rise to the standards. Bruce Ismay general director of the White Star line that owned the titanic jumped into the last Lifeboat. For the rest of his life he lived in shame scorned by All As a Coward. If the titanic were to sink today Ismay probably would face a very different future. As a survivor he could recount the details of his ordeal on Geraldo Rivera a show and then help stage a re enactment for �?o911.�?� a Book Deal would follow. And imagine How the Rich would react on deck in 1992. Unlike Astor today a tycoons would be elbowing into lifeboats. Its hard to believe executives who give themselves enormous bonuses while laying off workers would suddenly turn into heroes. What about the rest of the men would most follow the a ladies first Rule i doubt it and i can to say i would blame them. That Rule was enforced in the Days when people assumed that Only men had the courage to put others welfare first. It also was one of the Trade offs made in a social system that put men in control and women on pedestals. It was a Nice simple Rule but it does no to fit our complicated times. Women want Job Equality but that Means we have to give up some a a chivalry too. In the victorian Days of the titanic the social order was Clear men controlled the Money while women stayed Home with no vote and no career opportunities. Such rigid rules made for a stifling society but one in which everyone understood How to act. The rules Are Blurry now i can to compete with men at work every Day and then expect them to treat me like a delicate Magnolia Blossom when a crisis hits. I was discussing the titanic question with a male coworker who has two Little girls. When asked if he would follow the a women and children Rule strictly he said head want to Board the Lifeboat with his kids. I told him that 1, who have no children would give him my seat and not think less of him. 1 done to Sec How i could expect him to treat me As an equal in the office if we  make decisions As equal rational adults in an emergency outside of the workplace. Its easy to get nostalgic for the simplicity of the old order. But we re in uncharted social Waters now trying to figure out new rules for proper behaviour. While i Admire the courage displayed by the men who went Down on the titanic i prefer living in a world where women Are not necessarily first in the lifeboats and last on the pay Scales. C Cox news service