After all if and when we attack Iraq, we will know who our friends in the Mideast are, and I'll wager it will be a short list. Better to know now.
It sure would be nice to call a spade a spade. The trouble is, that as long as we are viewed as a mediator, we play word games to maintain our credibility. The difference this time is that Bush is leaning much harder on the Pali's which is what is ticking off the Arabs. To do anything less would remind me of Clintons attempt, which failed miserably.
If we lose the mediator status, then we can vent our real frustrations. But, who would mediate? The EU? The U.N.? We are protecting Israel, even though some folks cannot see it!