Bush "War On Terrorism" Now a Big Joke: "Arafat Is Not A Terrorist" (Japanese News Report Breaking)

In Japanese (Kyodo News, Tokyo) ^ | 2 April 2002 Japan Time | Kyodo News Service

[AmericanInTokyo]

Breaking. Japanese headling says "USA Government Does Not Consider Arafat a Terorrist"

Briefly attributes the stated policy to a 'high-level press spokesman' in the Bush Administration. (Probably Fleischer).

Short dispatch in Japanese just now. Breaking fast.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Go ahead. Try your little 'ban'. Write Jim Robinson. I still stand by what the Kyodo News reported shortly ago (that the US Govt, through it's spokesman justnow, does not consider Yasser Arafat a terrorist).

Sheesh, even the lame Dane post shows the President draws the line at specifically calling Arafat a terrorist, doesn't it? Or can't you read 'plane' (sic) English?

You can continue to be deceived if you like.

[mewzilla]

Bush can damn well call a spade a spade and Arafat a terrorist.

[Bommer]

Excuse me, but the title is

"USA Government Does Not Consider Arafat a Terorrist"

This is a true statement and like it or not contridicts Bush's lie of fighting terrorism. If Arafat isn't a terrorist, then how can Bin-Laudin be considered one. Wanna do compare and contrast?

Bin-Laudin: Organized training camps to train terrorists.
Arafat: Controls central education system indoctrinating and training children(kindergarden through high school) on hating, attaching, and killing Jews!

Bin-Laudin:Head leader of Al-Queda, a known terrorist organization
Arafat:Head leader of Hamass, a known terrorist organization.

Bin-Laudin:Like to kill by blowing up buildings and killing civilians.
Arafat:Likes to kill by blowing up buildings and killing civilians.

Bin-Laudin:Uses sworn Al-Queda followers to do his bidding
Arafat: Uses sworn Hamass member to do his bidding

Bin-Laudin:Hates Americans for supporting Jews!
Arafat:Hates Jews for being Jews!

Bin-Laudin:Fanatic Arab
Arafat:Fanatic Arab

Bin-Laudin:Master mind of blowing up of buildings and 1 battleship
Arafat:Mastermind of Munich Olympic killings, 1970's aircraft highjacking and blowing up of planes, the Infada, and suicide bombings.

Bin-Laudin:Twists teachings of Islam to extremist degrees to brainwash bombers.
Arafat:Twists teachings of Islam to extremist degrees to brainwahs bombers.

No matter how you cut it, Arafat is a terrorist, and it is becoming more and more appearent, (much to my great disappointment) that Bush talks out of both sides of his face!

[AmericanInTokyo]

Great hair splitting there, David. That was hilarious.

By the way, do YOU think the Palestine Liberation Organization, Fatah, alAqsa, all headed by Yasser Arafat, are terrorist? And that by extension, Arafat is also a terrorist? What are your thoughts? Perhaps you don't think they are.

By the way, American citizens have in fact been killed in the blasts in Israel committed by suicide bombers in case you had not noticed.

[Miss Marple]

If indeed they are referring to Fleischer, the transcript will be up in about 2 hours on the White House web site. Fleischer's press briefings are usually posted by Utah Girl. If she isn't able to post it today, I will do so when it appears.

And I also agree with Dave that the problems in the Middle East require a little bit more finesse that calling in air strikes. If Arafat is exiled to Morocco, there may be an opportunity to get things calmed down.

And, if a connection to al Qaeda is found in all those documents that the Iraelis removed from Arafat's headquarters, then we have proof, rather than supposition, and can proceed accordingly.

[mewzilla]

I'm sorry if my post seemed hstile toward you. I certainly didn't mean it that way. I really am sorry. I was just trying to indicate that I had seen a taped feed of the press conference on MSNBC. I saw and heard the question asked as well as the President's full reply. I'll look for a transcript. But Bush said what he said. And he deserves all the flack he's going to get for it.

[ElisabethInCincy]

i heard it during the briefing and earlier on msnbc ...

[Walkin Man]

Bush implores Arafat to condemn suicide bombings

By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (April 1, 2002 12:26 p.m. EST) - President Bush appealed Monday for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to order a halt to the suicide bomb attacks in Israel and the West Bank. "Suicide bombers in the name of religion is simple terror," Bush said.

But the president stopped short of applying to Arafat his oft-repeated statements that those who harbor terrorists are terrorists. He said the Palestinian leader is excepted because of his past efforts to negotiate peace.

You got it right AIT.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Excellent. You are very clearly showing the ridiculous position of the Bush Administration, following the Clinton Administration, in apparantly not considering Yasser Arafat a terrorist. He damned well is. One other poster also brought up a great point that the US State Dept. policy on this regard has NOT been revised under the new Bush Administration. So what's all the Bushbot anger with the Japanese reporter writing the truth of what he had been told in Washington today by the US Administration source?

[mewzilla]

This was mentioned during an appearance the President had with Gov. Pataki. FWIW, here's link to the p.c. thread, where the Governor's Island stuff was being discussed. I couldn't believe what I'd heard then, either.

Click here.

[Dane]

You can continue to be deceived if you like.

And you it looks like will still deceive. BTW, the ignorance of Israeli politics is astounding. Sharon has a coalition government with the very left Peres and here is a link that puts the situation going on now into perspective.

'COMPROMISE' SAVED YASSER

March 30, 2002 -- JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon wanted to "expel" Yasser Arafat from the West Bank, but agreed on a compromise to "isolate" him as an "enemy" after a revolt in his Cabinet and strong objections of Israeli military and security brass.

[LS]

We don't agree on much, but you are right on this one. Bush has deliberately AVOIDED labeling YA a terrorist. I know he has his reasons, and I think they go like this:

*We need to prosecute a war on terror, but can't attack everywhere at once.

*We want to go after Saddam next, and need some bases to do this. Therefore, we can't alienate the Arabs whose bases we need.

*We need to try to keep this Israel-Pale problem off the table until we are ready.

THIS MAY BE WHAT HE IS THINKING, but it is dangerously wrong. We are going to alienate many of the Arab states sooner or later. Better we find out NOW who is really on our side against terrorism. Would we lose them all? I don't know. Most of them, but perhaps one or two would see that their own internal terrorists are a threat to THEM as much as to us.

Only force will solve this situation. That force must come from Israel, supported (unleashed, really) by the U.S.

You are exactly right that Bush is ignoring his own standard for "harboring terrorists." Arafat IS a terrorist, and should be killed, pure and simple. It WILL hurt us in the "war on terror" elsewhere unless we deal with this viper's nest.

[SkyPilot]

This is proof that the Japanese press lies to you outright, just like our American press does.

Aw, come on! I read some Japanese High School textbooks, and these people are too educated for media spin. I mean:

The Rape of Nanking never happened

The US dropped the Atomic Bomb with no provocation whatsoever

Australian, British, and New Zealand prisoners during WW II were never brutally tortured to death

See.

[Dave S]

Bush can damn well call a spade a spade and Arafat a terrorist.

Presidents cant be as loose with their language as you and I. Everyone with any intelligence knows Arafat is a terrorist. It does no one any good for the President to come out and say that Arafat is covered by his statement about protecting terrorists if it means that it forces the US to get militarily involved in Arab/Israeli problems or to prevent the US from using its offices to try to reach a settlement.

I gather your solution is to firebomb all the cities on the West Bank, drive any survivors into Jordan, and then plant millions of landmines on the West Bank to prevent any return.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Thank you Miss Marple. Let's wait for the transcript then, and let's get further Japanese reporting and see if we can connect the two and verify or confirm discrepancies. I'll be happy don asbestos underwear and a matching tin hit, to apologize out here, if in fact the spokesman made no such statement or inference about Arafat, as reported by Japanese wire press sources.

[Dane]

You are exactly right that Bush is ignoring his own standard for "harboring terrorists." Arafat IS a terrorist, and should be killed, pure and simple. It WILL hurt us in the "war on terror" elsewhere unless we deal with this viper's nest.

Take a look at reply #31, even some in the present coalition Israeli govt. don't want Arafat to be named a "terrorist".

[AmericanInTokyo]

For everybody's clarification, the article says this policy is articulated by a Press Spokesman. It did not attribute the statement to Bush. (If it is true, i.e. the Japanese characterization is correct as to what was stated to them, and the press spokesmen made the statement, but it did NOT conform to the President's thinking or policy) then the press spokesmen should be in trouble. Let's all get to the bottom of this important point.

[csvset]

Perhaps this president will be remembered for his definition of "terrorist" the same way that the former president was remembered for his definition of what "is" was.

[mewzilla]

No offense, but I'm hardly the person guilty of loose language, am I?

The only thing I'm advocating is truthfullness. If I'd wanted a liar in the White House I'd have voted for Clinton Lite, aka Algore.

And no, I don't advocate any of the things you suggested I did. Care to tell me how you interpreted my desire for plain-speaking to mean all of that?