Posted on 11/06/2006 11:24:19 AM PST by Alouette
US secretary of state says Hamas government may be preferable to group 'running the streets, masked, with guns'
Associated Press Published: 11.06.06, 21:18
An elected Hamas government in the Palestinian territories may be preferable to the group operating outside the power structure and carrying out terrorist actions, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Monday.
Rice, speaking to a pro-democracy forum, made the point in arguing that that the United States should not retreat from its advocacy of democracy abroad when elections do not turn out well from the US point of view. Referring to Hamas, Rice said, "I am not so sure that it is better to have these groups running the streets, masked, with guns rather than having them have to face voters and having to deliver."
While the election that produced the Hamas victory was free and fair, she said Hamas has failed in its responsibility to obtain international acceptability. The result, Rice said, has been that the Palestinian people basically have been deprived of international assistance.
"The interesting point is would we have ever seen Hamas confronted with that dilemma without elections and without coming in to govern," Rice said.
She added that the international community should do more to convince Middle East groups that enter politics to give up terror.
While expressing disappointment with the drift toward repression in Egypt, Rice said the 2004 presidential elections produced some lasting benefits. "I don't believe that Egypt will ever go completely back to where it was in the wake of competitive presidential elections," She said.
"The kind of open debate that took place in Egypt, everywhere from in the press to cafes in Egypt, I'm told by people who were there, you don't ever really put that back in a bottle."
WTF!!!!
Warning! This is a high-volume ping list.
Think Robespierre...
Christian news and commentary at: sacredscoop.com ...
Has Rice forgotten that Hamas IS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION that carries out terrorist acts??? Hello Rice???
I wonder how long until the St. Dept. expresses the same view about Al Qaeda?
Rice is out of her mind. Better to eliminate Hamas.
Rice, speaking to a pro-democracy forum, made the point in arguing that that the United States should not retreat from its advocacy of democracy abroad when elections do not turn out well from the US point of view. Referring to Hamas, Rice said, "I am not so sure that it is better to have these groups running the streets, masked, with guns rather than having them have to face voters and having to deliver."The journalist is trying hard to make Rice sound as if she endorsed a Hamas government; she didn't. What she actually said is that the US should pursue the goal of democracy even if the result is sometimes that parties like Hamas getting popularly elected. Part of what a democratic system is supposed to do is give everyone a stake in the process.
This woman needs to be muzzled.
Better yet if the Palestinians do it themselves...
"I wonder how long until the St. Dept. expresses the same view about Al Qaeda"
They already are. The occupation of Iraq has been MANAGED, not won.
We should have dis-armed Al mookie Sadr when we had the chance.
We should have wiped him out. But this "New Tone" thing has hamstrung our troops.
We should have delivered a few 'Highways of Deaths" like Kuwait instead of thei get a long thing. Raw force is the only thing they understand.
Bizarre. She has become albrightian. I would so love to have Bolton SecState instead of her. They should change their jobs.
She said what? I'd like to, but I don't think those were very smart things to say.
We pumped in millions of dollars to Arafat. All he did was sock that money in a bank.
Eleminate Hamas.
The "hearts and minds" approach to dealing with the Islamic world could be America's death warrant.
Gee, Condi, wouldn't it be better to have the Democrats in power than taking to the streets, as many of them have threatened?
(The only way uber-Dems Lear and Vidal-see link-would take to the streets is if their limos broke down. I am not so sure about rank and file moonbats and terror symps, but I am willing to take the chance.)
Hamas are a terrorist organisation.
I would not have handed power to the IR effing A which was another.
They were a menace in the streets but we beat them by not spouting this sort of crud.
We cannot say to the Arabs: "we want democracy" and then insist that they should elect people that we like. Wherever Islamists have been elected, they have had to deal with raising revenue, filling the potholes, and dealing with milllage rates. Damn whole sight harder than driving the Jews into the sea.
Hamas will get unpopular real quick when the rubber meets the road. Further, when Hamas becomes a State Actor, they get an State Address. Understand that Rice and Olmert are ginning up for the Second Round. Hamas needs to understand that as a State Actor they will be in range of Israeli artillery, rockets, and GBU's.
It sucks being in government. Condi is right about this: once you're the State, you've got an address. Makes it A LOT easier for the IDF.
But the bottom line is this: you either believe in the right of the people to choose, or you don't. Arabs are NOT going to choose our way. Supporting strongmen, oil princelings, and Presidents-For-Life whose practice is to be our ally while putting the boot into the people merely puts off the Day of Reckoning.
Be Seeing You,
Chris
Condi has proven that she and this administration have been "turned" a long time ago.
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