If China can do business with both - Iran and Saudis, why not US?

Time to negotiate with Iran on Nukes and get something softened to let Israel be safe. Beyond that, Iran can also offer second passage to Afghanistan and make Pakistan's blackmails unsustainable. Add to that Iran's Gas reserves.

As for Iran/Saudi feud, well let them fight. In real. A fight will "soften" both of them, will allow US to sell weapons (initially) and reconstruction material (later) to both and who knows, we may see good riddens of Saudi Kings and/or Iranian clergy - which can be a Bonus!

Is oil. Other than that there is little common ground. The Saudi regime has no problem repressing it's people or funding Wahabi insurgents and terrorists world wide, if ever there was a duplicitous ally, it's the Saudis.

We should have dumped them years ago.

Saudi Arabia gets WORSE scores than Iran and Pakistan when it comes even in the (ridiculously pro-western) Freedom House and The Economist's Indexes.

This is, of course, because the official state religion is Wahhabism, whose aim is to emulate in as much detail as possible the time period of Muhammad and the first caliphate. It's no coincidence that Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi and a Wahhabi, as were 16 out of 19 of the Hijackers. Wahhabism requires little modifications to create an extremist group.

A study conducted by the NGO Freedom House found Wahhabi publications in mosques in the United States. These publications included statements that Muslims should not only "always oppose" infidels "in every way", but "hate them for their religion ... for Allah's sake", that democracy "is responsible for all the horrible wars of the 20th century", and that Shia and certain Sunni Muslims were infidels.
source: Freedom House Special report #45

And Saudi Arabia spends untold billions promoting the speard of this form of islam. According to Dawood al-Shirian, Saudi Arabia now funds 90% of the funding of the entire Muslim faith.
-Dawood al-Shirian, 'What Is Saudi Arabia Going to Do?' Al-Hayat, May 19, 2003

Dear Simon Henderson,

Thank you for writing this article for the people.

I have to say though as my first time to this site I am impressed as well disappointed with your Colum. Hey the Getty Image makes your representation look like a $400 paint job on a Mercedes someone thought was actually a brand new car or in your case a complete story of facts as which is the true meaning of honesty.

With this said, I can’t figure out if you are lazy, stupid, new at this region, can’t connect dots, which happens if you haven’t followed the region long enough. Then, as you’re aware, you must match with global facts all connected together.

Honesty, Integrity & Honor is what your profession is based upon. Ethics should mean everything to you. Tell us now if you’re on the take, this is your key out of the hand-cuffs you are now busted. Are you taking orders by cruel mongrel’s media tycoons or other? Stupid? Lazy?

Are there Mongrel Media Tycoons like Murdock insisting you print half-truth?

What is the motive some readers may wonder….maybe a “close to truth” “close to complete” article with impressive product placement photo from Getty will lure the intellectual’s. Many are trying to get a grip on what the hell is happening around the world and shame on you for failing to be a professional.

If you challenge me I will bury you with substance of facts making you then look stupid and incompetent. I can easily defend my stance so be careful how you respond as I check your work.

Man up or man on fire your choice…. Shame on you!
I
f you made any money on this article a great thing for you to offer is a post of what Charity you donated the funds to. I’m not looking for an apology life is to short let’s do better or go resign.

I will now key word search your name, add updates, which as you knows automatically forwards to me all articles you have and will in future post.

For disclosure I work for nobody in media and am not paid to call guys like you weak at best with this type work. I am just a citizen looking for value that I can depend on to make good decisions. I will not be making any decisions based on this and you know what I am speaking of......

Have a great weekend!

Kansas City RP

We haven't seen such total incompetence in foreign policy since Jimmy Carter, and even Jimmy didn't launch a useless, unauthorized, endless, war for no reason! Obama's absurd foreign policy of bows, apology, and appeasement is creating chaos around the world, but especially in the Middle East. The King of Saudi Arabia is finding out that Obama's bow didn't mean much that he has an inexperienced, incompetent ally that is bound by indecision and his extreme left wing ideology. The enemy of Saudia Arabia and the U.S., a country that trully threatens the strategic interest in the U.S. is on the move, and Obama does nothing. Yet Obama has launced the entire nation into war against Libya and can't even get rid of Gadhafi. Saudi Arabia is clearly looking for more reliable allies, and that means the U.S. may see gas lines and $20 a gallon gas. Obama's domestic policy has put the U.S. on the edge of total financial collapse. His foreign policy is increasing the economic damage and putting the security of the entire nation at risk!

Everyone is dumping Obama. They're all realizing what a sham he's been all along.

Even Americans are finally starting to see it! Good on ya.

Valwayne, you mentioned, "Saudi Arabia is clearly looking for more reliable allies, and that means the U.S. may see gas lines and $20 a gallon gas." I really do not think that we will have time to even get close to that point. At things progress and everything from food to gas prices increase, while wages stay the same, economy teeters, if gas got to $8.00 per gallon, we'd see major issues happening in the US. Food prices would beyond skyrocket because of the costs of distribution. If we hit the $10 mark within the next couple of years, we may see the true beginning of a crumble of what was once a world power. Those who control the oil control the power. But when reserves run low, which everyone knows will happen over the next few decades, everything will change. Everything. And sadly, it has already started - at least as far as people 'self medicating' because of the stresses of the economy and their jobs. I work as an editor for many sites around Houston including a Houston drug rehab educational website and the uptick in cases is disturbing. Not only is the current economy a mess (for a wide variety of factors and leaders) but because of it, more and more people are choosing the wrong way to deal with the stress that this is all creating. If gas ever hit $20 a gallon, the amount of drug and alcohol abuse happening around the country could up up by hundreds, even thousands of percent. Let's hope we (The USA) elect a leader who can turn everything around - for everyone's sake.

By Bill Spindle and Margaret Coker, Wall Street Journal, April 16, 2011

"For all the attention the Mideast protests have received, their most notable impact on the region thus far hasn't been an upswell of democracy. It has been a dramatic spike in tensions between two geopolitical titans, Iran and Saudi Arabia. This new Middle East cold war comes complete with its own spy-versus-spy intrigues, disinformation campaigns, shadowy proxy forces, supercharged state rhetoric—and very high stakes. Iran has long pursued a nuclear program that it insists is solely for the peaceful purpose of generating power, but which the U.S. and Saudi Arabia believe is really aimed at producing a nuclear weapon. At a recent security conference, Prince Turki al Faisal, a former head of the Saudi intelligence service and ambassador to the U.K. and the U.S., pointedly suggested that if Iran were to develop a weapon, Saudi Arabia might well feel pressure to develop one of its own."

The King of Saudi Arabia is finding out that Obama's bow didn't mean much that he has an inexperienced, incompetent ally that is bound by indecision and his extreme left wing ideology. The enemy of Saudia Arabia and the U.S., a country that trully threatens the strategic interest in the U.S. is on the move, and Obama does nothing. raid recovery If we hit the $10 mark within the next couple of years, we may see the true beginning of a crumble of what was once a world power. Those who control the oil control the power. But when reserves run low, which everyone knows will happen over the next few decades, everything will change. Everything. And sadly, it has already started - at least as far as people 'self medicating' because of the stresses of the economy and their jobs. I work as an editor for many sites around Houston including and the uptick in cases is disturbing.

Maybe, maybe not. For now, they have the money to bribe their hapless citizens into the roles of enablers and supplicants, but they are destined for some future global Skid Row or violent ending. This is, of course, because the official state religion is Wahhabism, whose aim is to emulate in as much detail as possible the time period of Muhammad and the first caliphate. It's no coincidence that Osama Bin Laden was a Saudi and a Wahhabi, as were 16 out of 19 of the Hijackers. Wahhabism requires little modifications to create an extremist group. You would think that if you're going to go around pounding your chest, that you would put something on the table to show you've got the goods