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.

[Piquaboy]

I guess that those WW2 suicide pilots weren't really suicide pilots. They just weren't very good pilots. I always wondered how come they wore helmets if they were going to kill themselves.

[AmericanInTokyo]

Irrelevant, perhaps. The points you bring up are the Japanese Government position. However, opposed to them, is often an anti-government, liberal press. It is the Kyodo press today which wrote this article, not the Goverment of Japan. You have apples and oranges all over the place there, my friend! ;-)

[Dane]

Take a look at reply #31. The ignorance of internal Israeli politics(the only democracy in the mid-east) is somewhat astounding on FR, IMHO.

[mewzilla]

I saw the press conference with George Pataki. Bush was asked the questioned and answered it that way. I saw the question and the complete answer. Bush said it. If I can find a transcript, I'll post it.

[Dave S]

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?

Simple stupid, Bin-Laden has been launching attacks on Americans and the American interests abroad. Remember the World Trade Center? The Pentagon? The USS Cole, two US Embassies? Arafats suicide bombers target Israelis. He's their problem, not ours.

Similarly, the IRA in Ireland are terrorists and they have been known to attack our closest allie, Great Britain, but we dont label them terorists and bomb them either.

[Dane]

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.

If you had Clinton in the White House, Arafat wouldn't be surrounded right now, he'd be at the White House right now denouncing Sharon.

You can hem and haw all you want but you know that would be the truth.

[AmericanInTokyo]

See my reply to somebody, right after your post to me. Apples and oranges my friend. The govt. of Japan says these things, true, but not the press which often adopts a position opposed to the Japanese government. This same press has more honest and forthright books and articles w/photos out in Japanese on Imperial War intracacies, details and sheer terror of Japanese atrocities than you could ever imagine. Irrelevant. Your comments have little to do with this discussion today.

[Tancredo Fan]

Bush: Suicide Bombings Are Terror

By Sharon Theimer Associated Press Writer Monday, April 1, 2002; 11:45 AM

WASHINGTON -- 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 bombings in the name of religion is simple terror," Bush said.

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

"There will never be peace so long as there is terror, and all of us should fight terror. I'd like to see Chairman Arafat denounce the terror," Bush said during a meeting with New York's governor and New York City's mayor.

As for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Bush urged him to "keep a pathway to peace open," and said he believes he remains committed to negotiating peace.

Bush spoke as members of the Senate turned up pressure on him to get more directly involved in the Middle East peace process. He said those critics "must have not been with me in Crawford (Texas) when I was on the phone all morning long" talking to leaders in the region."

Earlier, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer denied that Bush gave tacit approval for Israel's fierce crackdown, saying "the Israelis did not seek a green light" from the United States.

(Remember, illegal aliens aren't really invaders, either.)

[rwfromkansas]

So now we believe Tokyo news agenies when nothing has even been reported in the US?

[mewzilla]

Uh, yeah. I agree wholeheartedly with you on that point. But that doesn't make me feel any better about what Bush just did.

[AmericanInTokyo]

I will trust a reporter from Yomiuri or Asahi or Nikkei to get it right, more quickly than I will a talking head from C(rescent)NN, or Wall Street Journal, or CBS or the Washington Post.

Yes, my answer is yes.

[rwfromkansas]

So in other words, Bush only says he is not a full-blown terrorist because of some things he has done. I will be okay with that reasoning right now, but eventually Bush will have to say it outright that he is a terrorist if Arafat does not stop the terror or condemn it. I think Bush may be laying some guidelines to condemn Arafat more strongly in the future.

[Dave S]

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.

And they knowingly put themselves in danger. Arafat didnt attack an American embessy or send suicide bombers here.

If I were you I wouldnt criticise American leadership from Japan. They have been in a permament recession now for how many years? Ten years and counting? The only leadership those in Nippon demonstrate is now to line their pockets with cash before they get caught.

Personally I would trust Bush, Chenny, Condileeza Rice, Powell, Rumsfeld on foreign policy more than I would some ex-Patriot American living in Japan.

[DoughtyOne]

Yep, it's tough when others don't bow on bended knee isn't it...

[Dave S]

Arafat heads the PLO (Palestine Liberation Organization). Hamas is a competing terrorist organization that operates out of the Palestinian Authority. Fatah and other groups are part of PLO, Hamas is not.

[Mixer]

USA Government Does Not Consider Arafat a Terorrist

Presient Bush should go on record with words and followed by actions to defend this position. If he doesn't then the Japanese news article is 100% correct. I hope GW makes good on his words.

[SkyPilot]

You know, you're right. I thought I had just seen an article in the Japanese press about their coming to terms with their role concerning war crimes in WW II.

I lost the link. Do you have it?

[AmericanInTokyo]

The Japanese Kyodo headline reports were as follows (w/translation):

00:56 local Japan time (2 April): "Gicho wo terroristo atsukai sezu -- Beiseifu" ("Will Not Deal With Chairman (Arafat) As a Terrorist: U.S. Government")

01:17 local Japan time (2 April): "Gicho wo terroristo misezu" -- Beihodokan we genmei" ("Do Not View Chairman (Arafat) As a Terrorist: US Govt. Spokesperson Declares [States or Alerts]")

Looking at the time different, the reporter filed his stories and they appeared at approximately 10:56 a.m. Monday East Coast Time and another one at 11:17 a.m. Monday East Coast Time. Considering time to input the story, get it through to Tokyo by internet, travel time, what not, one can assume that the journalist met somebody from the Bush Administration from approximately 10:00 a.m. this morning Washington D.C. time. Who was this spokesperson? What did they say? Did they say the US govt does not view Arafat as a terrorist? If he contradicted the President and current policy, is his job in jeopardy?

All thoughts for consideration.

[DoughtyOne]

You know bud, it's an amazing thing to watch the BushBots implode. There it is in black and white. People on the forum confirm that they heard Bush euqivocate with their own ears. It's a fact.

In the face of fact they attack you, offer up trash on others and completely dismiss the relevance of discussions regarding this issue. Blithering idiocy and a stupifying attempt to diefy Bush is all I can attribute this to.

We used to laugh at the spinners for Clinton. Hell, Carville had nothing on the pimps for Bush. The spinners for Clinton discredited themselves with each new spin. Our own brethren fare no better.