[padfoot_lover]

This editorial is so ridiculous I don't know where to begin.

The biggest lie above is that "Arabs and Muslims support our values". They don't support anything but our complete annihilation, Helen, get a clue! No matter what our policy is, they would still be teaching that we are the great satan.....

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[ErnBatavia]

Helen Thomas....Helen Thomas....I've forgotten what she looks like; is this her?

[Slings and Arrows]

Change U.S. image with Arab world or else

I see that Helen's dyslexia has kicked in again. That should be:

Change Arab world image with U.S. or else!

[A CA Guy]

Well, we begin with the fact that the Arab world has the problem and not us. If they don't get with the program, eventually they will be starving to death when their oil is no longer needed.

Think about this, if the Middle East did not sell oil, outside of illegal drugs, how could they make money to buy food to eat?

The Arabs and Middle East in general needs to get their own selves in control and having an old dried up liberal hag defend them doesn't make their positions good ones.

[Thebaddog]

I think that Helen's Lebanese. Or Lesbianeze. But she has the same wrongheaded idea that we sould worry about what the world thinks of us rather than the other way around.

Let's not forget the three thousand innocent American souls that perished. Twice as many as Pearl Harbor, and it's our problem to be nice about getting even?

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

the United States must dramatically transform its negative image in the Arab and Muslim world to better meet the dangerous challenges of extremism.

Would that be the negative image due to cynical journalism which hypes our difficulties and shortcomings?

Or would it be the negative image due to a history of backing away from terrorism whenever liberals have the clout to arrange it?

Or the negative image of a country that needs to be liked so much that it would put the "united tyrannies" in control of our security?

[thoughtomator]

Or else what? Or else they'll unleash crazies to fly planes into major landmarks?

The time to change the policy was in 1993. Now all we can do is deal as best we can with the results of the failure to do so at that time.

[TrebleRebel]

But if the United States is to regain its respected status in the Arab World, Washington must change its one-sided policy, which has embedded deep bitterness among Arabs.

NEWSFLASH: Helen, most Americans don't care what the Arab world thinks of us...and the Arabs were bitter long before there was ever a United States.

[conservativecorner]

Screw the clinton loving old bag of wind!

[LibWhacker]

. . . Change U.S. image or else . . .

Then put a bag over your head, you ugly witch!

[demkicker]

Geeze, Helen hates that the Arabs don't like us and detests the fact that we side with Israel against terrorists. I bet if Arafat asked her nicely, Helen would volunteer to be the next suicide bomber. Maybe we'll get lucky....

[Clara Lou]

But if the United States is to regain its respected status in the Arab World, Washington must change its one-sided policy, which has embedded deep bitterness among Arabs.

Long before the president had to deal with 9/11 terrorism, there was an Arab-Israeli dispute and three wars in 1948, 1967 and 1973, which ended in Israeli victories, with strong American support.
So, this is Helen's agenda. She's anti-Israel. I hadn't realized this. [This just goes to show you how much of her work I've read.]

[gg188]

Change U.S. image with Arab world or else (Helen Thomas alert)

Actually, the premise is correct: mohams worldwide are going to have to see we mean business and that we will go THROUGH as many or THEM as it takes to EASILY (without loss of American soldiers' lives) get to the bad actors.

We need to change our image from pansy, fretting-over-what-FRANCE-will think, etc., to getting the job done (as we did successfully in WWII.)

Their image of us is WEAK. Nothing has changed that. If they view the US media, they see hand-wringing concern and crocidile tears over the "inhumane" treatment of ragheads in Gitmo, for example.

This has got to change. IF what the mohams say is true---that it is only SOME of their ranks who want to destroy Western civilization---let them rat out these perps. If they don't do it themselves, we'll use a dull knife to cut out the bad guys. And we will do it with remote control---out of range, so no more of our guys get it.

Our new image must be this: we are so fearsome and awesome and RUTHLESS that parents will turn in their children, children will turn in their parents, and men will crap in thier pants when they hear the sound of an approaching American aircraft.

For those in the US, they can renounce this cult and its violent creed, recognize God, and pledge allegiance to the USA. Or they can spend the rest of their lives in Gitmo or similar accomidations. Or hell, just send 'em back to Afghani caves----that is, if the caves survive a couple of nukes.

[South40]

[Congressman Billybob]

Are they renovating the bridge that Helen Thomas lives under? Is that what forced her out in the light, where she delivered this screed?

So most of the nations in the Middle East don't like the United States. Most of the nations allied with Adolf Hitler during World War II had a very low opinion of the United States. Their attitudes did not change until we had stomped them flat, militarily. Presumably, Ms. Thomas' attitudes toward the United States would also change, if she was stomped flat. Just a thought.

Congressman Billybob

Latest column, "Slime and Bigotry on the Campaign Trail," discussion thread on FR. IF YOU WANT A FREEPER IN CONGRESS, CLICK HERE.

[expatguy]

LOL appease the Arabs and Muslims so they wont hate us anymore.

Should we start by feeding them Israel?

[Unam Sanctam]

How's about them changing their image with us?

[DianaN]

Ever since that false prophet Mohammad came onto the scene and obtained an army, the message has been the same.
Capitulate and do and think what we want or we will get angry and threaten to attack (actually attack in some cases as in Sept. 11th) you in some way. Their attacks can be political, ideological, physical, etc.
The idea that Islam is a "religion of peace" and that they actually believe there is "no compunction in religion" is total propagandistic crap, i.e. it is an absolute lie.
The people who attacked us on Sept. 11th meant to take away our entire way of life.
May the Saudi family rot in hell.

[Catalonia]

A government-sponsored panel says the United States must dramatically transform its negative image in the Arab and Muslim world to better meet the dangerous challenges of extremism.

Alternative universe paragraph: A government-sponored panel says the Middle East must dramatically transform its negative image in the rest of the world to better meet the necessary challenges of modernity.

The bleak state of our relations with the Middle East was underlined by the 13-member U.S. Advisory Group on Public Diplomacy in its report titled "Changing Minds/ Winning Peace," with a subtitle that sums up the report: "A new strategic direction for U.S. Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World."

Alternative universe paragraph: The bleak state of the Middle East’s relations with the rest of the world has been underlined by everything they have done for the last millennium. Advisory groups and reports are not necessary to determine this, no matter what the names/titles of groups/reports.

The study has come at a critical time, with tensions escalating in the Middle East and the cycle of violence taking another spiral downward. Like similar past studies, this report will gather dust unless President Bush plays a more even-handed role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Such a move would require courage for any politician but it would transform him or her into a world-class statesman.

Alternative universe paragraph: Studies discussing this phenomenon cannot be critically timed because the barbarity of the Arab/Muslim world has been a permanent fixture. As such, reports outlining the obvious problems of a backwards civilization generally deserve to gather dust, as would a study stating that the sky is blue. Arabs need to play a more even-handed role in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Such a move, however, would require tolerance of terminally intolerant Arabs and transform them into civilized human beings.

A recent suggestion by Democratic presidential aspirant Howard Dean that the United States be even-handed in the Middle East caused an uproar with the other Democratic White House candidates.

Alternative universe paragraph: Recent suggestions by Middle East experts state that Arab/Muslim governments need to even-handed in the Middle East. This always causes an uproar with irresponsible, intellectually adolescent anti-American liberals, who believe that the U.S. is the source of all evil in the world.

But if the United States is to regain its respected status in the Arab World, Washington must change its one-sided policy, which has embedded deep bitterness among Arabs.

Alternative universe paragraph: The United States can never gain the admiration of the Middle East because it is not a primarily Muslim nation (European nations fool themselves into believing they are respected; in truth they are useful idiots in the Arab world’s racist hatred of non-Arabs). The Arabs must change their one-sided policies, which has embedded deep distrust among Americans and Jews.

Blah. Blah. Blah. There are two sides to the coin, and Arabs/Muslims have not held up their end of the bargain. End of discussion.

[DonQ]

The "image" that the US has to change is that of a country that can be fooled by the most absurd Arab lies, that is so addicted to Arab petroleum that it acts blind and deaf to evidence of Saudi treachery, that is capable to being wheedled into shortchanging its flesh-and-blood ally in the region, and is so gun-shy that it will not go all out to punish its enemies (such as Osama).