WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY????
Arafat doesn't deserve a funeral. But a really good cremation is okay by me.
Somebody has to piss on his grave to 'represent' the rest of us. I can't afford to go.
Can't we just send Michael Moore to the funeral?
Actually it's backhanded slap in the face to send some so low ranking for the funeral of someone considered to be equivalent to a "head of state". Probably even more than just not sending anyone would be. Normally for a head of state, you get the President, Vice President (attending state funerals was once the main duty of the Veep. :) or Secretary of State. To send an Assistant Secretary sends a message. (an Assistant Secretary is a bureau chief who reports to an Undersecretary who in turn reports to the Secretary of State, in this case Assistant Secretary Burns heads up the Near East Bureau, and reports to the Undersecretary For Political Affairs, Marc Grossman.)