Long-Standing U.S.-Saudi Relations a New Focus in Presidential Race

WASHINGTON (AP) - It is no secret that President Bush, like his father, has deep personal ties with Saudi officials. The real question is whether those loyalties will cost the president at the ballot box this year.

Bush's Democratic opponent on Thursday accused him of being too cozy with Saudi Ambassador Prince Bandar bin Sultan to insist that the oil-rich Saudis do more to help lower the cost of gasoline in America.

The Bush camp and Bandar himself deny any undue influence. Bandar said he has talked about oil with Bush just as he has with Bush's predecessor, Bill Clinton, and other U.S. presidents going back to Jimmy Carter.

The U.S. dependency on foreign oil - and the fact that Saudi Arabia has more crude than anyone else - has compelled all presidents to befriend the Middle Eastern country. As Bandar told CNN earlier this week, "Oil prices and Saudi Arabia and American politics are intertwined."

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