When human rights meet oil

You may have noticed that the US has suddenly got a lot tougher on its allies as they start to topple - after supporting some vicious dictatorships over the years. Obama calls for tyrants to go and freedom to reign.

Yet one country is immune: pretty much the worst one of all - Saudi Arabia. No religious freedom. No political or trades union organisation. No freedom of movement. Women aren't allowed out of the house without a male relative. Torture is rife, capital punishment frequent, fair trials unheard of.

It's worse than Libya, Iran, Tunisia, Morocco, Yemen, the UAE… What do the Americans (and their British mini-Me) have to say to that?

In Washington, State Department spokesman Mark Toner, said the U.S. administration was seeking more information about al-Sherif's status. "We understand there's an active debate on a lot of these social issues in Saudi Arabia, and we trust the government of Saudi Arabia to give careful consideration to these voices of its citizens as they speak about issues of concern," Toner said.

Fearless. That'll do the job. Next up: declining to shake hands with Kim Jung-Il at the UN.