Does this mean Bush won't be holding hands with these guys anymore?

Honestly, I think it is either the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning to WWIII.

Frodo failed...Bush has got the ring.

See my comment in today's News Bucket!  

The new strategy roll-out is delayed until the year 2007.

Bush is said to be "facing conflicting advice on how to shift course."

Well, "You can't vote for war and disown the results"

Maybe this has something to do with the new info that the "New Way Quagmire Forward" won't be revealed until January.

Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. -Margaret Mead

Perhaps he just wanted more time to play the new Wii.

Oh, there you are, Perry. -Phineas -SLB-

I'd like to see someone resign from public office and say they did so because they wanted to spend time with someone else's family.

Of course he's a Saudi Prince which means he has about a bazillion relatives. He probably has to look around a bit to find someone who isn't related to him.

I for one welcome our new Twitter overlords. @Omir55

Whatever it means, the "spend time with family" is a cover story that barely even tries to disguise the situation.  

This is different from the formal breaking of diplomatic relations, in that it says less outwardly, but is more practical:  Your diplomat is not stranded in the host country when the shit comes down.  (Think of the hapless Japanese ambassador to the US in December 1941.  As part of the cover for the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor he was left in Washington to twist in the wind.)  The implication to not leaving him stranded is that shit may be coming down soon--friendly times are over, and we are about to find out what unfriendly times are like.  

Of course, that is an alarmist interpretation.  Is there one that isn't alarmist?  Well, sort-of.  Sometimes sudden recalls occur when a country is fundamentally reversing or altering its diplomatic mission.  That is about as good as it gets.  Could it be that the Saudis are shifting radically from a policy that is friendly to one that is even MORE friendly?  

I don't think so.  

Whatever else it means, the Saudis already OPENLY stated that if the US cannot protect Sunni Iraqis, they will intervene to that end.  How?  I suppose we think it means they will start (openly) arming the Sunni insurgents.  Are they already shooting down our pilots in Anbar province?  The on-site news suggests (the parachute was shredded, and the pilots body was too badly mutilated to be shown) that that is how that F-16 went down.  The Air Force is saying nothing, except that they are investigating.  And they used DNA testing to identify the pilot.  Had to use?  I wonder.  

Oh yes, and they have reversed their stance within OPEC:  This autumn they had been calling for more production and lower prices--friendly to Bushco specifically and to the US economy in general; now they are calling for cutting back production and raising prices.  This is a complete and utter break with their longstanding US-friendly policies--they have done nothing like this since the late 1970s and early 1980s.  

Also they have started shedding their holdings in dollars.  They hold a lot, so they have a long way to go to get out from under a dollar crash, but they have started.  

Recently Cheney was summoned to Saudi Arabia to explain American policy.  Clearly his explanations proved inadequate.  Talk is over.  The Saudis will now be showing their displeasure in other ways.  

The timetable has been speeded up.  This week should see important developments.  

This scene is not so eviable.  When your own best pusher refuses your money and kicks you to the curb, it's a hint that the pary is over.  

The Fates are kind.