What to Make of This?

Intrigue in the Royal Court of the Saudi’s makes me nervous. That said, I don’t know what to make of this situation with Prince Turki’s abruptly stepping down as Saudi Ambassador and the consequences for this Administration’s policy on Iran.

According to the WAPO:

For more than a year, Saudi Arabia's ambassador journeyed to college campuses, chambers of commerce, town halls and world affairs councils across the United States in an ambitious campaign to improve his country's image.

But Prince Turki al-Faisal's goodwill tour, instead, produced millions of dollars in unpaid bills -- and a tale of murky intrigue in the enigmatic desert kingdom.

The debts by one of the world's wealthiest countries -- owed to the very lobbyists, advisers and event organizers hired to promote the kingdom -- have left a trail that weaves together bitter princely rivalries, diplomatic subterfuge and a policy clash over one of the thorniest issues of the day: what to do about Iran.

The Saudi Embassy would not comment on the kingdom's payments, personnel or internal policymaking.

But the woes within the royal family reflect a tug of war over how to handle foreign policy. Eighteen months ago, Prince Bandar bin Sultan ended a legendary 22-year career as the face of Saudi Arabia in the United States. Word at the time was that he was bored, preferring his palatial Aspen, Colo., lodge to Washington. As it turns out, however, Bandar has secretly visited Washington almost monthly over the past year -- and is at least as pivotal today in influencing U.S. policy as he was in his years as ambassador.

Last week, his successor, Turki, abruptly resigned from the post -- partly, sources close to the royal family said, because of Bandar's back-channel trips to meet with top U.S. officials, including Vice President Cheney and national security adviser Stephen J. Hadley.

Yes, folks this makes me nervous. I don’t understand the implications, but I know that there are implications and I am not feeling very positive. In fact, I have a foreboding feeling of negative ramifications. The Decider is very tied to Bandar and his cohorts. And, our Navy’s actions in the region don’t help me feel positive about where this Administration's policy is leading us.

Read the whole article. I’m thinking this is not good!