I have said this before, and I say this again. The Saudi-funded media (notably Al-Hayat, Al-Arabiyya, Elaph, and Ash-Sharq Al-Awsat) are no more than blantant propaganda mouthpieces for the US government--I say this without meaning to offend the many fine reporters and anchorpeople who work there, and under tight conditions from what I hear. The House of Saud wants to appease the US, and they found a way. The US, I can tell from the access that those media have in DC, is impressed. Today, I watched Al-Arabiyya reporting on Rice's sneak visit to Iraq. First, she gave Al-Arabiyya an "exclusive" interview in which she asserted how much the US government respects the Qur'an, and that they never use its pages in DC as paper napkins. The reporter was so impressed with the cultural sensitivity that emanates out of the Bush's White House. And then, the anchorperson who was "reporting" the news, repeated in news broadcasts that Sunnis in Iraq were "impressed" or "pleased" with Rice's statement, but they never once quoted one Sunni. But then again, is Donald Rumsfeld Sunni or Shi`ite? I think that they were citing him.