What will it take to get the Bush administration to get tough with the Saudis? Last night, about 29 innocent civilians were blown up in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Yes, the Saudi kingdom was a victim of terror last night. The problem is that the Saudi royal family is involved in terrorism. Can the Saudis play it both ways: be protected from terrorism while at the same time support terror outside of Saudi Arabia ("as long as it's not in my backyard")?

Let's look at the Saudi ruling family's track record on terrorism:

• Osama bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia and is a member of the royal family.
• 15 of the 19 9/11 hijackers were Saudis.
• There are reports that the 9/11 hijackers received money from the Saudi royal family here in the U.S.
• Apparently, the Saudi ambassador to the U.S., Ambassador Bandar bin Sultan, helped members of Osama bin Laden's family leave American soil right after 9/11.
• The Saudis funded both the Taliban and al-Qaeda.
• The Saudis held a telethon to raise money for Palestinian homicide bombers. They routinely support the terrorist group Hamas.
• Saudi officials prevented FBI agents from interrogating suspects in the Khobar Towers bombing (on Saudi Arabian soil, which killed American citizens).
• Saudi princes have been linked to funding the horrific Bali bombing.
• Saudi Arabia has been criticized by the U.N. for its use of torture.
• Government-sanctioned Muslim clerics in the Saudi kingdom regularly preach in support of terrorism.
• A prominent Saudi cleric called Jews the "the scum of humanity."

Do we need these types of "friends?" Is their oil worth it?--especially when one considers that the kingdom "accounts for 15% of the U.S.'s crude-oil imports, less than half the amount the U.S. imports from Canada, Mexico and Venezuela." I understand that the royal family would likely be replaced by an extremist Wahabi dictatorship if they were overthrown today. But we have to decide whether we should be giving the Saudis a pass in the war on terror.

I thought the Bush doctrine was "you're with us or you're against us; if you support terrorists, you are a terrorist." Time to put this doctrine into practice with our "friends," the Saudis.