A rivalry between the US and its colony Saudi Arabia?

U.S.-Saudi rivalry intensifies

The quest for greater influence includes a tug of war over Jordan, just one example of the contest between the longtime allies split over the democracy uprisings sweeping the region.

Senior U.S. diplomats have been dropping by the royal palace in Amman almost every week this spring to convince Jordanian King Abdullah II that democratic reform is the best way to quell the protests against his rule.

But another powerful ally also has been lobbying Abdullah — and wants him to ignore the Americans.

Not much needs to be said about this, no more than that if Saudi Arabia was to pursue a foreign policy independent of US influence, it would do a lot more to harm US commitments in the region than supposedly ask another pro-US dictator not to make reforms.

Saudi Arabia's clumsy public relations apparatus is really pushing the story hard that there is some kind of friction between the United States and the US' most loyal colony. It is a little pathetic to watch.