Posted on 04/17/2002 9:29:48 AM PDT by COURAGE
Ron Smith's Something to Say Weekday Mornings 6:50AM rsmith@wbal.com
We got the answer April 17, 2002
(April 17, 2002)
Two weeks ago, a columnist remarked we would shortly know who runs American/Israeli Mid East policies – America or Israel. As Secretary of State Colin Powell returns from his bizarre “peace” mission, the answer is clear to the whole world – Israel is the tail that wags the American dog.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon basically thumbed his nose at President Bush’s demand he withdraw his forces “without delay” from their West Bank incursion. The attitude, reinforced by most of the news media here, was who are you to tell me, the elected leader of a sovereign nation, how to handle terrorists who are killing my people? You pursued terrorists who killed your people all the way to Afghanistan and you tell me I cannot do likewise?
The man has a point. This is how the president of The United States boxed himself in when he declared in the wake of 9-11 that we would engage in an all out “war against terror.” Under this rubric, Serbia’s Milosevic was in the right when he had his forces hunt down and kill Albanian terrorists who were killing Serbs in Kosovo. Unfortunately for him, the war on terror is apparently not retroactive.
Anyway, Mr. Bush has a number of pressing problems despite his lofty poll numbers. One is the demand by neo-cons and other conservatives that he deliver on his promise to hand them Saddam Hussein’s head on a platter. As David Corn writes: “[But] Bush’s current engagement in the Middle East – in which he’s calling upon Arab nations for help in easing tensions and finding a negotiated resolution – provides less room for him to mount a serious action against Saddam. What can he do? “
Other prickly problems abound, such as the fact that the rest of the world is aghast at the tactics being used by Sharon against the Palestinians. Yet when Bush surprisingly spoke out against the Israeli attacks on Palestinian towns, he quickly was reminded that opposing Israeli interests is dangerous to the health of any American politician – even a president.
What a perplexing situation. On the one hand, for domestic political reasons he must allow Sharon free rein, and condemn Arab terrorism but not the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands; on the other hand, the president has to find a way to militarily move against Iraq, risking upheaval in the Arab world, a break with European allies, possible oil shocks and the prospect of sending the sons of thousands of American mothers into a unilateral war.
It’s always amazed me why any man would want to be president, but never more so than now.
Bizarre.
Fire Daddy's has beens who also had a failed foreign policy in the Middle East. ANY nation has a right to defend itself from terrorist. Bush was wrong to try and dictate that Israel take it lying down just as his dad tried to do in the Gulf War. Israel was patient with Pappy Bush and gave him a chance. They saw a wobbling Bush in Iraq as a result. Bush sr forgot to fight to win and left the problem in place.
Again the most reasonable solution is stop getting advice from those who still push their same failed policies and avoid careless entanglements with foreign nations. That means stop taking dictates from Arabic nations. Take out Saddam and stop groveling to the Middle East.
Not only is it bizarre, it is stupid and wrong, and it sounds like the old "the Jews control America" canard.
If the president ordered Putin to withdraw his troops from Chechnya, he would be laughed at here and abroad. He would be called imperialist.
So, why should Israel be expected to heed his every word? I'm sure his advice is appreciated, but it simply can't always be heeded, because Israel and American interests do not dovetail 100%.
Furthermore, read the latest news from Powell: Powell Says No Truce Deal Until Israel Withdraws. Clearly, the Bush administration has many cards to play to coerse the parties... but "ordering" the parties simply is bad diplomacy. It's insulting to suggest that Israel is not sovereign and should not be sovereign, but should be a puppet of the USA. Liberals usually are aghast at that sort of thing.
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