Friday, July 21, 2006

In Mideast Strife, Bush Sees a Step To Peace

Whilst it is possible to lament the position taken by the EU not to condemn Israel's actions in Lebanon, it is George Bush that truly makes my mouth gape in disbelief.

It is being reported that he sees the events that are unfolding, not as a crisis, but as "an opportunity" to degrade a big threat in the region "just as Bush believes he is doing in Iraq".

So, far from attempting to restrain the Israelis as they engage in war crimes, Bush is all for it.

"The president believes that unless you address the root causes of the violence that has afflicted the Middle East, you cannot forge a lasting peace," said White House counselor Dan Bartlett. "He mourns the loss of every life. Yet out of this tragic development, he believes a moment of clarity has arrived."

Someone should mention to this buffoon that the root cause of the violence lies in Israel's illegal occupation of the Palestinian people. He's dealing with offshoots caused by that central injustice. And you will never establish peace in the Middle East until Israel obeys UN Resolution 242 and withdraws from the illegally occupied territory.

Talk about putting the cart before the horse.
One former senior administration official said Bush is only emboldened by the pressure from U.N. officials and European leaders to lead a call for a cease-fire.
Yes, you can why resistance emboldens him, because they were soooo wrong over Iraq and Bush was so spot on.

Many Mideast experts warn that there is a dangerous consequence to this worldview. They believe that Israel, and the United States by extension, is risking serious trouble if it continues with the punishing air strikes that are producing mounting casualties. The history of the Middle East is replete with examples of the limits of military power, they say, noting how the Israeli campaign in Lebanon in the early 1980s helped create the conditions for the rise of Hezbollah.

The history of the Middle East shows that it is very easy to enter these conflicts and it can prove impossible to get out. The more Israel continues this cruel campaign, the more likely it becomes that regional conflict could spread. Perhaps this is secretly what the fundamentalists in the White House desire. The intervention of Iran and Syria and an all out Middle Eastern war. They are playing with fire here. The end result of such an escalation, especially with the US unable to control Iraq, would be far from guaranteed.

US forces are stretched as they are. The anger and hatred that we see on the streets of Iraq would quickly be replicated in any other nation that they entered.

Suddenly one worries if the madness that is being spouted by Kristol and Co is actually being listened to. We are dealing with dangerous demagogues here so anything is possible.

"We don't want the kind of truce that will lead to another conflict," said this official, who added that, when the time comes, "you will see plenty of diplomacy."

Fred S. Zeidman, a Texas venture capitalist who is active in Jewish affairs and has been close to the president for years, said the current crisis shows the depth of the president's support for Israel. "He will not bow to international pressure to pressure Israel," Zeidman said. "I have never seen a man more committed to Israel."

If he was a true friend of Israel he would encourage her to comply with her requirements under international law and encourage negotiations to finally agree the borders of Palestine.

Israel, the US and the UK are more loathed in the Middle East than at any time over the last fifty years. If Bush thinks that having the entire region loathe us is not encouraging terrorism, then he's even more stupid than I thought he was.

And I didn't think that possible. I've said it before, but the lunatics really have taken over the asylum.

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