I really enjoyed Bill Maher last night. It was great to see him back on the air again. He interviewed Sen. Bob Graham and I was impressed how Bob held his own in that tough arena. He even got in a few zingers himself. Pundits are predicting that he would make a strong vice-presidential candidate even if he does come out on top in the Democratic donkey race. A Dean-Graham ticket would certainly have my whole-hearted support.

Something that Sen. Graham said that I found quite interesting is that there is tacit agreement with the Saudi regime that the US will provide for the defensive needs of the Saudi kingdom. In return they have agreed to make sure that the oil spigot stays open.

It could be compared to a deadly embrace. We dare not leave the Saudi family to hang in the wind for fear of catastrophically disrupting the world economy. They dare not move to limit oil supplies too much or we might remove our support of their regime. By the same token the Saudis in the early days made an agreement with the Wahhabi clerics to support their claim to the ascendant position in the Islamic world in return for the clerics blessing of the Saudi family as the legitimate rulers of Arabia. The Saudi rulers are now caught between all these competing interests. They are obligated to fund Wahhabi charities and madrassas lest the clerics turn on them and they are obligated to pump oil for the world's economy lest the US turns on them. Interesting times for the Saudis these days indeed.