“He basically said in this interview that the US was an occupying power in Saudi Arabia during the First Gulf War.”
That is the reason given by OBL for his attack on the US. Whether you agree or not is irrelevant.
No it isn't. The point is Ron Paul called us an occupying power. We were/are not. We are there by invitation of the Saudi Arabian government.
Just because OBL (0r Ron Paul for that matter) doesn't like the fact of our presence does not make the invitation any less valid. But the fact of the invitation invalidates Paul's viewpoint.
The legal and historical fact is that the US never occupied Saudi Arabia, but was an invited guest and ally of the Saudi Arabian government.
Whether your friend Osama Bin Laden or your friend Ron Paul or you disagree with this historical fact is irrelevant.