Can someone please translate this political expression for me?

Question

Me and my coworker were talking about the high gas prices and he said that they are high because "George Bush is in bed with the Saudis..."

What does this mean? What does him being in bed with Saudi people have to do with high gas prices?

Answer 1

Seymour,

The President treats the Saudi family carefully.  They are, on paper, our allies.  We have few in the region and can ill afford to be on anyone's bad side there.

To the Presidents' detractors they feel that "he's in bed with them."  The illustration is that it's improper.  

The Saudi people have little to nothing to do with our price of gas.  In the USA we get most of ours from Canada and Mexico.

Answer 2

George Bush is dealing with the Saudis and together they are making the oil prices high, since the Saudis supply the oil and George Bush buys it and ships it here.

Answer 3

What he means is that they are cooperating, working together to keep prices high to their mutual benefit.  

When people say that others are "in bed together" they mean that people who typically wouldn't work together are working together to help each other out and the implication is that they are doing something unethical.

Answer 4

Considering that the US gets the majority of its oil from Canada so is George Bush in bed with the Canadians as well. He sure gets around.

Answer 5

It means that George Bush is kissing Suadi Arabia's butt and is unwilling to pressure them to raise oil production.

Answer 6

Generally speaking when guy and female are in bed together they have close relationship, and scratch each others backs, so it just mean people with close cosy relationship. He's really in bed with big oil.

Answer 7

"in bed with" means cooperating with for their mutual advantage.  Your coworker was implying that the president was conspiring with the saudis to keep oil prices high.

Answer 8

It's pretty obvious the skyrocketing price is due to speculation.

Your coworker is suggesting that GW and the Saudis are the ones doing the speculating.  Seems unlikely though.