Obama's Reconciliation Tour

President Obama's first stop on his reconciliation tour of the Middle East was Saudi Arabia, where he met with King Abdullah on Wednesday, citing the "long history of friendship" between the two countries. Abdullah shared Obama's warm tone, saying that America is "represented by a distinguished man who deserves to be in this position." (This odd statement can be seen as either a subtle jab at George W. Bush or an odd acknowledgment of Obama's race.) The meeting with Abdullah is the president's first stop before heading to Cairo, where he will deliver a highly-anticipated speech aimed at easing tensions between the West and the Muslim world. Meanwhile, Al-Jazeera—knowing how to break news just at the right moment—aired a new Osama bin Laden tape as Obama arrived.