Opinion of King Abdullah II of Jordan

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It's quite marvelous how he's managed to make everybody in America think that he's a super democratic, progressive, hip monarch. He might be less distasteful than some of his colleagues, but he's still a slimy, corrupt, autocratic despot.

It's quite telling that the opinions of our tour guide in Jordan shifted from reciting the regime's propaganda about his awesomeness on the first day to lamenting that the government had splurged millions on a huge silk flag overtowering Amman to openly telling us about the King's gambling problem and his trophy wife's latest nose/boob whatever job.

(and yes, my username is 'Hashemite'. How ironic is that?!)