Saudi media: romantacizing Bin Laden

By the way, you need to note a trend I have been observing in Saudi media. There is a new cult romanticization of Bin Laden in Saudi media. There is an effort to focus on Dhawhiri and to spare Bin Laden the negative press. In fact, the (vulgar) propaganda mouthpiece of Prince Salman and his kids (Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat) have been printing various magazine-style pictures of Bin Laden family members. This is not surprising: remember that all Saudi media have moved away suddenly from negative portrayal of Saddam because their agenda of sectarian agitation required it. And remember that I have always been of the view that Bin Laden may be hiding somewhere that is not Pakistan or Afghanistan. And remember what a footnote of the official Sep. 11 Report said: that a House of Saud prince whisked Bin Laden out of the kingdom when he left for Sudan. And if you link that to the open alliance between the House of Saud and the Taliban, you understand. Even Western press admitted that members of Karzai government have met with Taliban representatives at dinner parties hosted by House of Saud.