[Congressman Billybob]

Rice's position re: Arafat and the PLO is, I think, a classic example of toeing the company line. She is so intensely thoughtful and thorough that I believe she knows that the PLO is to Israel as Al Qaeda is to the United States.

But that is NOT the position of the Bush Administration. For geopolitical reasons, Bush has refused to take that position. Rice is simply being a good soldier. And given the position she occupies, that is correct behavior.

Congressman Billybob

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[thoughtomator]

The PLO is no longer just Israel's problem. It is our problem too, and PLO terrorists are attacking our troops in Iraq even presently.

Islamic terror is a single problem encompassing radicals from Pakistan to Syria to Saudi Arabia to Egypt, and more. This is a high-level mistake that I think is simply inexcusable, even given that it may be the "company line".

If it was truly just a matter of following policy, why does the fact that the basic prerequisite for the Road Map was not fulfilled - the PLO ending terror - not lead to an emphasis on that issue? This is a basic honesty and credibility value here, as in "Do I do as I say I will do?"; it is not the mere subtlety of diplomacy. That she is willing to take on that role does not bode well for being able to trust her word in the future.