US State Department revolution?

On NationalReviewOnline John Cullinan reports on an unusual (some might even consider it an astounding) step by the US State Department, traditionally the breeding ground for new members of the "I love Saudi Arabia" club.

"And the Earth stood still..."

...the State Department recently designated Saudi Arabia as a "country of particular concern" in its annual religious-freedom report... ...this unprecedented step may — just may — signal the start of a tectonic shift for the better in the troubled U.S.-Saudi bilateral relationship, and in the broader war against Islamist terrorism.

Saudi Arabia's welcome, if belated, addition to State's religious-freedom blacklist — along with the likes of Burma, China, Eritrea, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Vietnam — fulfills the clear policy mandate of the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998 (IRFA). This measure explicitly recognizes that religious freedom is inseparable from the full range of other basic human rights, whose promotion and observance in turn advance vital U.S. interests and reflect basic American values. Where religious freedom is threatened or denied, so too are other basic human rights; and such violations of universally agreed-upon norms often reflect wider threats to international public order.

I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for actual, tangible changes in the US attitude towards the oil leeches. Although Saudi is itself in constant danger from terrorist attacks and political overthrow, it has always sponsored and pampered to the needs of those same terrorists as long as they did their 'business' abroad, preferably against Jews. There is every chance that some day, the Wahabbi cult leaders will pay the price for their duplicity. But it won't be America that will make them pay.

Designating Saudi Arabia as a country of particular concern marks "a sea change," notes Rep. Tom Lantos (D., Calif.), ranking member of the House International Relations Committee and co-chairman of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus. "For years there was an unspoken attitude that...friends like the British, the French, and the Germans could be criticized, but Saudi Arabia was beyond criticism," he says. "This is just a straw in the wind that Saudi Arabia will be treated just like any other country."

Tom Lantos is one of the good guys, a genuine force against evil.

During his press conference, the Hungarian-born congressman, who is the only Holocaust survivor ever to serve in the US Congress, reserved his harshest criticism for Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
"Arafat is a poison in the region... a plague and a pest who has contributed to the tragedy and suffering of Palestinians and Israelis for a long time," Lantos said.

"His destructive, irresponsible, and monstrous behavior has brought death and destruction to his people and suicide bombings to Israel. The sooner he fades into oblivion the better of the region will be," he added

and

Egypt’s military buildup in preparation for a future war with Israel can and must be halted by cutting off US aid to Cairo, Congressman Tom Lantos said this week.

Lantos, the ranking Democrat in the House International Relations Committee, plans to introduce legislation that would phase out the $1.3 billion Egypt receives annually in US military aid, Middle East Newsline reported Tuesday.

The senior California representative noted that while Egypt has no serious external threats to its sovereignty, Cairo continues to add weaponry and additional units to its massive war machine.

But he's kidding no one here: As long as billions and billions are to be made off Saudi, that country will NEVER be treated 'just like any other country'