Ok. Bush did his Islamic suck-up for the day. Now perhaps he can make a private phone call to the Prime Minister and make a stealth apology.
IMHO, we should take a tract of land permanently from Afghanistan large enough for a secure base with a nice, big air field. We payed for that land in blood already. We should have a floating 'dry dock' in the Persian Gulf so that sea vessels can be repaired and sailors can stretch their legs. It would really be nice if the dry dock were large enough to land B 52s. Lastly, we should drill for oil in Alaska. Then we tell the Islamics to stuff it.
RAMALLAH — A Palestinian security chief with close ties to Israel and the United States has emerged as a leading player in the struggle to succeed Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Palestinian sources said Col. Jibril Rajoub, head of the PA Preventive Security Apparatus, has been meeting U.S. and European diplomats over the last month and has presented himself as the favorite to succeed the 72-year-old Arafat. Rajoub, 55, told the diplomats that he is the only Palestinian figure who can restore stability to the region and resume peace talks with Israel, the sources said.
The claims by Rajoub has angered Arafat supporters as well as rivals within the PA. Critics assert that Rajoub has been criticial of Arafat's rule and can no longer claim to be a loyalist of the Palestinian leader.
Rajoub has a force of more than 2,500 agents in the West Bank. The agency is regarded as the best-trained and equipped in the West Bank and enjoys close ties with the intelligence communities in Israel, the United States and the European Union.