With faint damn, Bush praises Arafat (Chrissy alert)

San Francisco Chronicle ^ | 06/30/2002 | Chris Matthews

[Pokey78]

Washington -- George W. Bush has sent Palestinians the same ultimatum John F. Kennedy sent the Cubans: Dump your leader!

Ditch Yasser Arafat, Bush demands. Then, and only then, can we do business. It's the same ultimatum JFK issued to the Cuban people the week before he was assassinated by a pro-Castro zealot.

[TruthShallSetYouFree]

Fidel, if you failed to notice, is still calling the shots in Havana four decades later.

Castro is not blowing up Puerto Ricans. for instance, on a daily basis. He's merely enslaving and persecuting his own people. If Arafat stuck to doing that, Bush would leave him alone.

[dawn53]

Ditch Yasser Arafat, Bush demands. Then, and only then, can we do business. It's the same ultimatum JFK issued to the Cuban people the week before he was assassinated by a pro-Castro zealot

I think this statement is extremely irresponsible of Matthews.

[The Vast Right Wing]

The message in Bush's speech went right over the head of most liberals. Bush's message to the Palestinian people was reform your society, institute the rule of law, institute democratic reform, and by the way get rid of leaders that are tainted by terrorism. He sounded like Pres. Wilson and President Reagan. It is funny how the liberals demand the same recipe's from country's with a right wing dictator, but when it comes to the mideast or communist country's all the sudden they go soft. Idiots

[meenie]

To clarify the situation, Bush should tell the Palis that if they stick with Arafat, they will get their little butts blowed to h*ll.

[Cachelot]

It is funny how the liberals demand the same recipe's from country's with a right wing dictator, but when it comes to the mideast or communist country's all the sudden they go soft. Idiots

Not soft, and not idiots. They know precisely what they do.

Show me a PLO office in any country, and the chances are almost a 100% that the people who organized, lobbied and helped set it up with the local govt. are leftwingers, totally in ideological accord with the PLO/Hamas/Hizbollah/Arafat and in many cases hardcore Marxist/Leninists. And that they are entrenched in national or local politics.

[Mike Darancette]

Ditch Yasser Arafat, Bush demands. Then, and only then, can we do business. It's the same ultimatum JFK issued to the Cuban people the week before he was assassinated by a pro-Castro zealot.

Fidel, if you failed to notice, is still calling the shots in Havana four decades later.

We, if you failed to notice, are still not doing business with Cuba.

What is right is right. Not all people go through life with their fingers in the wind.

The larger Jewish vote, though welcome, comes from places where George Bush has little chance to win. The one exception is FL where he won without it.

[CyberAnt]

I don't think Arafat will go away - but this will allow the U.S. to totally side with Israel and help Israel get rid of this terrorist regime. After all, the U.S. did give them a chance to change things and they didn't want to change things.

And ... just as an aside - killing JFK didn't change things for Castro either. He may still be the leader of Cuba, but his people still hate him and try to leave at any opportunity.

[ClancyJ]

As if Bush is responsible for Arafat remaining in power. If Bush had dealt with Arafat - Arafat would be in power. Now that Bush won't deal with Arafat - Arafat will be in power. What's the difference?

Exactly what would we gain by dealing with Arafat? Nothing but the same we have had all along - no peace and continual efforts to get rid of Israelis. They just don't like us complaining about it.

[Faraday]

Leave it to prissy Chrissy to totally miss the import of the President's speech and to recast it into a domestic political ploy. The man's (?) Democrat credentials are unimpeachable (though his Party's Presidents are not).

[wingnuts'nbolts]

All we have to do is cut off the aid money, which, I understand our President is in the process of implimenting should the Palistinians unwisely chose to back Arafat.

[24Karet]

This Matthews op-ed is pure drivel. For one, Chris is equating Arafat and the Palestinian territories with Castro and Cuba. They are completely different cases in almost every aspect. Secondly, he suddenly equates Bush's moral clarity in his response to terrorism with domestic political strategisms, after calling for weeks on his TV show for Bush to show some moral clarity in the War on Terror.

Matthews should be overjoyed, instead he's critical and sniping. Typical Rat, IMHO.

Notforprophet

[Notforprophet]

These cookies are only cool if you don't share computers with another Freeper! LOL... me again!

[hchutch]

The gain in Florida, though, is a staker through the heart of the Left in 2004, all things remaining equal.

[teeman8r]

i feel the same way, and i believe matthews meant it in the way we interpret his meaning.

[swampfox98]

I think instead of useless words, Bush should withdraw the 100 million dollars of US taxpayers' hard earned money his administration gives to Arafat each year.

The US itself is funding terrorism.

[teeman8r]

three men sitting on a bench.... a texan, a muslim and an american indian... the indian says once my people were many now we are few... the muslim says, once my people were few and now we are many.... the texan says, that's cause we ain't played cowboys and muslims yet....

[Miss Marple]

Perilously close to inciting violence against the President, in my opinion. Matthews should be called on the carpet for this.

By the way, does he think Castro was responsible for the assassination of JFK? If he does, why isn't he livid about Carter going to visit Castro?

Matthews is becoming totally loony, and this is a prime example of his mental state.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

Funny. Before GW came along, I would have thought Chris worshipped the ground JFK pissed on. My how times have changed.

[RedBloodedAmerican]

DOH!