“Can our State Department be any more incompetent?”
I agree with the general drift of your question but I think it’s not an issue of incompetence but a matter of a craven pro-Saudi policy, which for years has been the driving force behind State’s coddling of terrorists and their water-carrying for the idiotic, blood-drenched project called “Palestine”.
I forget who said it but there’s a quote out there to the effect that politically weak presidents are apt to push a small ally around to try and score some political points. The State Dept. has always been there to help: see: Jimmy Carter, see Bill Clinton (not necessarily political weakness, but desperately seeking “legacy”)
Good point. Still, I saw a transcript from todays State Department Press briefing, and McCormack was still trying to claim that Hamas “military wing” was acting independently to its “political wing,” which in State’s opinion really and truly wanted to work with Fatah and jointly make a peace deal with Israel. This, while the news tickers were reporting stories of triumphant Hamas terrorists executing captured Fatah leaders out in the streets of Gaza. I couldn’t help but wonder how deep Condi’s head really is buried in the sand here...