Bruce Riedel defends the Saudi royal family

"The Palestinian issue has great resonance with average Saudis. It has been the main irritant in the US-Saudi relationship since it began in 1945 when President Franklin D. Roosevelt met King Ibn Saud in the Suez Canal to create the oldest US partnership with a Middle East state. In 1973, of course, King Faisal cut off oil exports to the United States over the Arab-Israel conflict, the lowest low point in the relationship’s history. US-Saudi relations have historically thrived when the Americans are actively and successfully engaged in promoting peace between Israel and the Palestinians."  All you need to know about Bruce Riedel is that he had told Middle East Quarterly back in 1999 that Arab public opinion is not opposed to US sanctions and bombing of Iraq. That is how much he knows about the Middle East. (Notice his remarks about contacts with Taliban).