I’m glad he’s alive. But at his age, with his health problem, he’s in my dead pool for 2011. The USA better have a plan for what happens when Saudi Arabia de-stabilizes — or will we be “caught by surprise” once again?
Wikipedia (Yes, I know):
King Abdullah is 86 this year, but his half brother and designated successor, Crown Prince Sultan, is 82. The apparent next in line is Sultan’s full brother, Prince Nayef[38]
In 2006, Abdullah set up the Allegiance Council, a body that is composed of the sons and grandsons of Saudi Arabia’s founder, King Abdulaziz, to vote by a secret ballot to choose future kings and crown princes. The council’s mandate will not start until after the reigns of Abdullah and Sultan are over. It is not clear, however, what would happen if Sultan were to die before the end of Abdullah’s reign, leaving a question as to whether the council would vote for a new crown prince or whether Nayef would automatically fill that position.[39]