http://www.mediaite.com/tv/nbcs-richard-engel-obama-statement-ironic-because-abdullah-could-not-stand-him/NBC’s Richard Engel: Obama Statement Ironic Because Abdullah ‘Could Not Stand’ Him
by Andrew Desiderio | 1:37 pm, January 23rd, 2015
NBC’s chief foreign correspondent Richard Engel said on Friday that President Barack Obama‘s statement on the passing of Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz al Saud was ironic and just an attempt at being polite because in reality, the late king “could not stand” President Obama.
According to Engel, Saudi Arabia was against the “democratization” that the U.S. encouraged with its support for the Arab Spring and its opposition to former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
“One of the big ironies here is that President Obama, in his statement, said how close he was to King Abdullah — King Abdullah did not like President Obama,” Engel said. “In fact, a lot of people I know that are quite close to the late King Abdullah said that the king could not stand President Obama.”
Engel concluded: “This close personal bond between the president and the late Saudi leader, I think, is people being polite at a time of a national funeral.”
Earlier this week, Engel criticized Obama’s State of the Union address, saying there was “a general tone … of suspended disbelief when he was talking about foreign policy,” adding that the president was incorrect in saying U.S. military actions are halting the advancement of ISIS.
