Saudi people's viewpoint of Bush: Just above whale poop but lower than Osama and Iran

[babylonsister]

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/S/SAUDI_US_TIES?SITE=KPUA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT

Jan 14, 1:35 PM EST

Saudi Public Leery of Bush

By DONNA ABU-NASR
Associated Press Writer

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) -- Saudi Arabia's warm official welcome for President Bush, the scion of a family with close ties to the kingdom's ruling family, masks his deep unpopularity among ordinary Saudis.

A recent poll found only 12 percent here view Bush positively - lower than Iran's president or even al-Qaida chief Osama bin Laden - and more think warmly toward Iran than America.

Among the reasons are the chaos in Iraq that followed the U.S.-led invasion and the widespread Arab feeling that the United States is biased in favor of Israel and not serious in seeking Mideast peace. A recent editorial said everything the president touches "turns to dust and ashes."

That mirrors the deep distrust many Americans hold toward Saudi Arabia - the homeland of 15 of the 19 Sept. 11 hijackers - even as U.S. leaders praise Saudi Arabia's leadership in the region and its crackdown on Islamic extremism.

snip//

And an editorial in Saturday's Arab News, a Saudi English-language newspaper, said Bush's record makes it hard for Arabs to believe he can deliver.

"No Palestinian, no Arab believes he will, or can, deliver," the editorial said. "Everything he touches turns to dust and ashes. Iraq, Afghanistan - maybe now even Iran."

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

1. Hey, something I can agree with.

[Hydra]

2. "everything the president touches 'turns to dust and ashes.'"

That about sums it up. OTOH, with allies like Saudi Arabia, who needs enemies?