There are fewer relationships stranger than that between Saudi Arabia and the United States. Of course, who knows if Reuters is actually even close to the mark when they connect Barack Obama's call to King Abdullah with Saudi's recent announcement that present supply cuts would be quite enough, thank you very much, but no one seems to mind if the credit is laid at the feel of Obama and AT&T. (Seems Bush's oil connections aren't actually a prerequisite to get King Abe on the ring-a-ding).

OPEC Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri was rather pointed about the change in tenor: "I don't want to say that I voted for Obama, but we can see a different tone ... that we didn't see in the past."

Ever the United States, the gesture was followed up with a big "piss off" in the form of promises that the United States would never spend a bloody dime on that black sewage or sully its hands coping with the tar pit of the Middle East again if given even half a chance to quit the habit.

Saudi princes were, meanwhile, heard quipping ironic proverbs about not bleeding a man too dry if you wanted blood again next week.

OPEC bows to weak economy, Obama effect [Reuters]