Friday, January 27, 2006

Middle East Road Map—Time To Ask For Directions?

Bush: "The people are demanding honest government. The people want services. They want to be able to raise their children in an environment in which they can get a decent education and they can find health care. It's a wake-up call to the leadership "

No, he wasn’t talking about Americans and the Congress. He was talking about the Palestinians who just voted overwhelmingly for Hamas to form their new government.

Back in 2004 at the RNC Convention in New York Bush said:
"As the citizens of Afghanistan and Iraq seize the moment, their example will send a message of hope throughout a vital region. Palestinians will hear the message that democracy and reform are within their reach, and so is peace with our good friend, Israel"

And when he says Israel, he means the country that the newly elected Palestinian Hamas government officially wants to destroy. Neither Bush nor the Israelis will "negotiate with terrorists".

Awkwaaaarrrd!

The Taliban are resurgent in Afghanistan, Iraq is mired in an internecine war and now in Palestine "freedom is on the march" with a vengeance (and a lot of guns).

Call me crazy but this "spreading freedom and democracy in the Middle East" isn’t working out too well. And call me insane but this situation isn’t actually Bush’s fault.

But it is his problem.

The check-engine light on the dashboard of the SUV of U.S. Middle East policy is blinking, the "Road Map" is now stuck to the floor with chewing gum and melted Snickers bars, we aren’t in Kansas anymore and there’s a spooky house up ahead.

Time to smack the kids whining "are we there yet?" and ask for directions.

8 comments:

Red Tory said...

Bush opened this Pandora’s Box of “freedom and liberty” and now he has to deal with the consequences. Simply refusing to recognize their existence or wishing they would go away doesn’t seem like much of a positive move. Isn’t this part of the problem in the first place?

Fantod said...

Unfortunately, most Americans are willing to sacrifice honest government, decent education for their children and finding health care for the comfort of being told we are safe from terra.

You know what would be safest of all? If we all just had ourselves encased in blocks of lucite. That would be safe.

Red Tory said...

Oh well. The Roadmap to Global Liberty and Freedom will all be revealed in the State of Union speech... right?

Anonymous said...

Lol, a wake up call? We're the ones providing a safe and stable future for our grandchildren.

Where's a resurgent Taliban in Afghanistan? Your opinion? That's all? Where are they? They're running, scared shitless. They have been and will continue to be in the run. They're no one in Afghanistan, compared to who they were in the Clinton failure years.

Democracy in the middle east isn't working? A deposed dictator, 20 million liberated Iraqis, a new government, free elections, a new constitution, no more rape, torture, murder and genocide by dictator............democracy what?

Grow up. I guess now I'm the ultimate enemy and "stupid" because I've shut you down. Red Turd knows the drill. He's my bitch.

KEvron said...

"Democracy in the middle east isn't working?"

don't let hamas hear you say that....

KEvron

Anonymous said...

Yeah because they'll feel threatened, like they do now, to attack free states, like they plan on now, and to disrupt Democracy in the middle east, like they plan to now.

Jeez, SHEvron, Are you converting or just stupid? Like a deranged stalker who never comes to your blog?

I can see it all.

HOORAY FOR HAMAS! THEY OPPOSE BUSH! HOORAY FOR THE OPPOSITION! LIBERALS SUPPORT EVERYONE WHO OPPOSES BUSH! TERRORIST OR NOT, WE SUPPORT HAMAS BECAUSE WE'RE LIBERTARDS!

None said...

Classy RG, you're very good at knocking down a strawman. Kinda fitting for somebody without a brain.

5th Estate said...

RV...appreciate your visit, I just dropped off a comment on your blog ( nice graphics by the way-- I love the inclusion of the AV8-B in the banner; I still don't understand why the US couldn't come up with their own VTOL).

Anyway, to respond more specifically to your post...

I'm not aware that "libertards" support Hamas. I don't think Hamas spends a lot of time checking their victims political leanings--they tend to just kill Israelis and Westerners no matter what, so ahy "libertard" caught up in their violence doesn't get a free pass, nor do the especially target Republicans or hard-line Likud.

Hamas's electoral victory is NOT Bush's fault IMHOP. But don't you think it's pretty weird that an electoral process delivered an honest-to-god terrorist organization to power? The democratic process worked, but how long will it last?
Democracy ( in palestine anyway) appears to have succeed and failed in one shot.
Do you think you could comment on this particular subject specifically and in your own words? WHat do you think this all means, at least in military terms?

Think about it. You have a perspective that I don't. And it's quite a conundrum. I've no hard opinion on this situation.