The Guardian | David Shariatmadari: The US president once demanded 10 years� worth of free oil from the Saudis. But after an emollient speech in Riyadh, all that was forgotten

If there�s anything consistent about the Trump White House so far, it�s that people get appointed to positions for which they are totally unsuited. More than that: they�re frequently the worst possible candidates for the role. That starts with the president himself, of course � less presidential than your average radio phone-in ranter. It was evident in the appointment of Michael Flynn, a man allegedly in hock to the Russian state, as national security adviser; of multiple Goldman Sachs alumni to oversee financial regulation; and of Jeff Sessions, who regards the film Reefer Madness as accurate social commentary, as the top law-enforcement official in the land.

In the latest example, the Sessions acolyte Stephen Miller, one of the architects of Trump�s attempted Muslim ban, has been put in charge of winning over the Arab Muslim world. Miller was the principal author of a speech, delivered in Riyadh yesterday, in which the president said he wanted to �deliver a message of friendship and hope and love�. He went on to argue that the fight against terrorism was �a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and � people who want to protect life and their religion�. Trump even shied away from the phrase he blasted Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama for avoiding: �radical Islamic terrorism�.

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