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Saudi Arabia was the home country of 15 of the 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 attacks on the US, as well as deceased Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden. During the war in Iraq, the Saudi government looked the other way as money flowed from wealthy Saudis and religious charities to the Sunni insurgency. And when it comes to political freedom and the rights of women and minorities, the Kingdom is among the most repressive countries in the world.

Yet President Barack Obama, who visits Saudi Arabia today, is supposed to be worried what King Abdullah and the rest of the ruling family thinks about him? Apparently so, if much of the coverage of his visit is any indication.

Here's The New York Times story on Obama's visit this morning:

And here's the º£½Ç´óÉñ Science Monitor's take:

Yes, Saudi Arabia is not happy that the US didn't go to war to remove Bashar al-Assad from Syria. Or put another way, it's upset that the US has not pursued the Kingdom's national interests on its behalf.

Is this really so horrible? The American government's bipartisan love affair with Saudi Arabia was built on the foundations of mutual defense interests and copious oil reserves. But it has been a running black eye for Democrat and Republican presidents – from Reagan to Clinton to Bush father and son and now to Obama – who claim that democracy, freedom, and human rights are at the top of America's foreign agenda.

Saudi Arabia has spent far more money trying to roll back halting steps towards democracy in Egypt than the US ever did promoting it. It also sent its own troops to Bahrain to crush protests by the Shiite majority against the Sunni monarchy in 2011 and has generally used all its diplomatic skills and financial leverage to shape events to its liking.

Syria isn't the only sore point. The Kingdom is also worried about signs of warming between the US and its regional rival Iran. In Saudi Arabia's view, anything that reduces Iran's isolation is a loser, whether or Iran has nukes.

The American perspective, quite rightly, is that if Iran's nuclear program can be curtailed without firing a shot, that's a winner. And an Iran reintegrating into the global economy would be a bonus, not to mention the huge untapped oil and gas reserves there. 

Would a less isolated Iran be a challenge for Gulf monarchies, particularly ones with significant Shiite populations? Probably. But should the US maintain a permanent state of hostility with the 17th largest country in the world, with GDP over $500 billion, so Saudi royals sleep better at night?

On Syria, one specific disagreement is US opposition to providing portable surface-to-air missiles to rebels. The Obama administration is worried about that such weapons in the hands of the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) and other Saudi-backed jihadi rebel groups could be turned on civilian aviation or US targets some day.

Saudi says there's little to worry about, but Obama will have to weigh Saudi assurances against the possibility that a French or Turkish or Israeli or American passenger jet might erupt into a fireball someday.

And, as always, Saudi Arabia's poor human rights record goes unaddressed. Obama hasn't brought up the issue publicly ahead of this trip, and is unlikely to. Human Rights Watch urged him to in a note ahead of his visit: 

It's a complicated world, and security interests often (and rightly) trump ideals. But if the Saudis are really worried about the relationship with the US, perhaps it's time for them to reassess their position.