Jon Stewart isn't impressed with Obama's side trip to Saudi Arabia

Oddly, the Big Question on late-night comedy on Wednesday was: Why did President Obama cut short his trip to India to visit Saudi Arabia to pay his respects to the family of the late King Abdullah, when he skipped the big solidarity march in Paris, attended by other world leaders? David Letterman sort of shrugged at the question, but Jon Stewart spent a good part of The Daily Show pondering the quandary.

Well, he didn't ponder that much — he went for the obvious explanation: Oil. ("I can't say mad at you," Stewart said with mock doe-eyes after being informed the Saudis are responsible for our low gas prices.) After decrying Saudi Arabia's human rights shortcomings and the corrupting power of oil, though, Stewart did find one concrete example of how America's closest Arab frenemy is "a stabilizing force." —Peter Weber

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.