Prince May No Longer Speak For His King

Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former Saudi ambassador and longtime Bush conduit to the Saudi leadersip, may no longer be speaking for his country. The New York Times  notes that Bandar's uncle, King Abdullah, has taken several stands recently that surprised  the White House by being in direct conflict with assurances given by the Prince. 

“The problem is that Bandar has been pursuing a policy that was music to the ears of the Bush administration, but was not what King Abdullah had in mind at all,” says former US ambassador Martin S. Indyk.  With America's image in the Muslim world in freefall, Abdullah appears to be eager to establish his independence from his U.S. allies. (More Saudi Arabia stories.)