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| Arabia |
| Don't let the door hit you in the ass |
| 2005-06-29 |
| Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the US Prince Bandar bin Sultan, has resigned after more than 20 years in the post. The embassy in Washington has sought to play down rumours of his departure saying merely that he is on holiday. But Saudi officials have confirmed the persistent speculation that Prince Bandar has tendered his resignation. It is thought he would like a senior job back home, such as head of intelligence - a post that has been vacant for several months. Prince Bandar became Saudi ambassador to Washington in 1983, when Ronald Reagan was in the White House. He has been close to every president since then. A man of extraordinary drive and energy and with a colourful lifestyle, he was once memorably described as an "Arab Gatsby". He played a central role in building the special relationship between Riyadh and Washington, a task that has become significantly harder since the 11 September 2001 attacks. Known to be in poor health, there has been speculation for some time that he wanted to leave his post. If the ailing Saudi King Fahd were to die, it is expected that Crown Prince Abdullah would become king and Prince Bandar's father, Prince Sultan, the current defence minister, would become crown prince. Prince Bandar may wish to position himself for a new role in the post-Fahd era. |
| Posted by:Steve |
| #10 I assumed his illness was a matter of convenience. AMERICA: Ambassador, why isn't the kingdom doing more to lower oil prices and round up terrorists. BANDAR: Um, I, ah, Cough, cough. Gotta go. Not feeling well. |
| Posted by: rjschwarz 2005-06-29 17:06 |
| #9 "Don't let the door hit you in the ass" Yeah - brain damage is a recordable injury. ;-p |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2005-06-29 12:42 |
| #8 Ah, but the Society pages will never be the same. Prince Bandar's got a sweet little spread on the Virginia shore of the Potomac...I wonder if the new guy gets it or has to forage for his own. |
| Posted by: Seafarious 2005-06-29 10:47 |
| #7 Good riddance. He was cozy with too many in DC. |
| Posted by: Spot 2005-06-29 10:46 |
| #6 Nah, Pappy. I'm sure the new |
| Posted by: tu3031 2005-06-29 10:20 |
| #5 And rheumatoid arthritis is greatly exacerbated by stress. It kept a beloved grandmother of mine bedridded for the last few years of her life when I was a small kid. Not a fun disease to deal with. |
| Posted by: anon 2005-06-29 10:18 |
| #4 Being out of the country when the Kink "stabilizes" is not gonna do Bandar any good. You snooze, you lose. |
| Posted by: mojo 2005-06-29 10:15 |
| #3 "...Known to be in poor health..." Among other things he has bad rheumatoid problems. I know this because a doctor I know has treated him for this. |
| Posted by: mhw 2005-06-29 10:14 |
| #2 So, how do you say "We have no intelligence!" in Arabic? (apologies to "Team America"...) |
| Posted by: Desert Blondie 2005-06-29 10:07 |
| #1 There's probably a lot of State employees wondering what's going to happen to their 'Saudi 401K' plans. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2005-06-29 09:24 |