Cheney, elder Bush call on new Saudi king

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http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8836604/

Cheney, elder Bush call on new Saudi king
U.S. officials pay respects to Abdullah, offer condolences on Fahd's death

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - Vice President Dick Cheney, accompanied by former President George H.W. Bush and former Secretary of State Colin Powell, paid respects Friday to new Saudi King Abdullah and offered condolences on the death of his half brother, the former king.

Reporters in the capital, Riyadh, were barred access to the American delegation, which was to have an audience with the new king after Friday prayers in the deeply conservative desert kingdom.

Oil-rich Saudi Arabia is a major U.S. ally in the Middle East, and Abdullah has worked to repair ties strained by the Sept. 11 attacks, in which 15 of the attackers were Saudis. The Bush family has had close ties with the Saudi leadership for decades.

At King Abdullah’s formal investiture Wednesday, Foreign Minister Saud al-Faisal said he expected U.S.-Saudi relations to continue improving, and he vowed a “total war” on terrorism.

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Cheney, I mean. He's not noted for dressing to fit the occasion.

http://media.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/images/I43195-2005Jan27L

Cheny at the Holocaust Remembrance ceremoney.

which describes how "Abdullah will distance himself from the U.S.".

No wonder they sent Dad to take care of this delicate assignment. Certainly couldn't trust Junior to go.

Notice also, who the REAL president is here.....Cheney. While Bush is sent home on a 5-week vacation.