Gonzales gets the headlines, but the Bush administration criticizing the Saudis is big, too.

For some time now, I've been screaming for a more honest accounting of the Saudi role in Iraq. This isn't a full account, but it is a start.

Now, Bush administration officials are voicing increasing anger at what they say has been Saudi Arabia’s counterproductive role in the Iraq war. They say that beyond regarding Mr. Maliki as an Iranian agent, the Saudis have offered financial support to Sunni groups in Iraq. Of an estimated 60 to 80 foreign fighters who enter Iraq each month, American military and intelligence officials say that nearly half are coming from Saudi Arabia and that the Saudis have not done enough to stem the flow.

One senior administration official says he has seen evidence that Saudi Arabia is providing financial support to opponents of Mr. Maliki. He declined to say whether that support was going to Sunni insurgents because, he said, “That would get into disagreements over who is an insurgent and who is not.”

Yes. Saudi Arabia is supporting the Sunni insurgency in Iraq. Nearly half of the foreign fighters entering Iraq are Saudi. This "support" and these Saudi foreign fighters are killing US soldiers.

(Within the context of Saudi diplomacy, specifically naming their country like this is a pretty big deal, (perhaps because it's a monarchy,) even if it is done not for attribution.

But, then again, you don't criticize the Saudi monarch even off the record without checking upstairs first. You know?)

And, just as a general comment, I'm not at all saying bomb Saudi Arabia here, but we have to have a clear presentation in order to develop a good debate on Iraq policy and the region.

We can't talk about ending the Sunni insurgency, or defeating the foreign fighters, or resolving of the sectarian clash without recognizing the fact that the Saudis want all these things to continue at this point.