There's a line in Randy Newman's 'Rednecks' about the segregationist Governor of Georgia, Lester Maddox, that goes 'He may be a fool but he's our fool', and we're seeing more than a touch of that this Arab Spring.
What's the difference between Colonel Gadaffi's use of violence against his people, and that of Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of Bahrain? It's simple: Gadaffi is an outcast, a mad dog, and possibly mentally unstable, whereas Al Khalifa is our ally.
Bahrain is tiny with not many more than 1.25M inhabitants, and is connected to Saudi Arabia by a causeway - that's what makes it so important. The US Fifth Fleet has its headquarters in Bahrain, and the King's Army, the Bahrain Defence Force is armed with US weapons.
At the heart of the troubles in Bahrain is religion - isn't it always thus? Too easy to simply describe the demonstrators as 'Islamists' - what we're seeing is the Shia majority protesting against the Sunni minority who they believe have a disproportionate amount of access to government and military jobs. Yes, it's the same old story: one brand of superstition proclaiming that it's 'better' than another!
So, when you hear Hillary Clinton criticising Gadaffi and Al Khalifa, note the different tone that will be employed - she and the US want Gadaffi gone (even if they don't know how to do it), but they want the ruler of Bahrain to stay. He may be a totalitarian tyrant, but he's our totalitarian tyrant!
If you want a look at the King of Bahrain, you'll get your chance soon, as he's scheduled to be a guest at Will and Kate's Bank Holiday beanfeast - you see, I told you he was our public school-educated, Sandhurst-trained friend!
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