King Fahd dead at 84

The ruler of Saudi Arabia died early this a.m. in Ridyah. He was 84 years old. Fahd's half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah was appointed to suceed him.

What this all means for US-Saudi relations, I'm not learned enough to speculate. A certain amount of deterioration has been happening since King Fahd' debillitating stroke of 1995. Pressures both internally and externally have increased. One thing is certain, King Abdullah does not have an easy job ahead of him.