Clinton has plane trouble, hitches ride home

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — Even when you have your own plane, sometimes you get stuck at the airport.

That’s what happened to Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton today, when mechanical trouble grounded her and her traveling party in Saudi Arabia.

Fortunately, if you are the top U.S. diplomat, you can hitch a pretty sweet ride. Gen. David Petraeus happened to be in the neighborhood, and he’s stopping to pick her up. Petraeus was in the Saudi capital of Riyadh. Clinton was a couple hours away in Jeddah.

Clinton told reporters that the government jet she uses has developed a fuel valve problem and could not be repaired quickly. She is leaving most of her traveling party behind.

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